A Spark Neglected
by The Penguin Ate My Homework
Summary: Romance and heartbreak, families and Mates, times of peace and times of war...the Jellicle Ball was only the spark that started the flames.
1. Chapter One

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Disclaimer: I do not own CATS the musical or any of the characters found within this story, except for those you don't recognize.

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**Chapter One**

_A spark neglected makes a mighty fire._

_-Robert Herrick_

The Jellicle Ball was going strong. The moon was high in the sky and the Jellicle Cats danced as if hypnotized, spinning and darting around each other in perfect chaos. Families started the night dancing together, but those groups dissolved quickly. Friends and mates found each other as the music slowed gradually, the moon still shining brightly. Two only remained standing.

A pure white cat found herself alone in the clearing, standing hesitantly in the middle of the Tribe as they lowered themselves to the ground. This was her year, and this was her Ball; the Ball where she would come of age. Turning nineteen would mean she was an adult. An adult who could take a Mate.

Slowly, the other Cat standing approached her. The white and brown tom was eager for this dance. He, too, was turning nineteen this year, and he had waited for this moment for far too long. He had known he loved the white queen for years, and had been ecstatic when she had agreed to dance the Mating Dance with him. The Dance did not bind them together as Mates, but it was a promise.

It was said that a Jellicle who had found their true Mate would know instinctively who it was; so to promise yourself to another was rare. And each dance showed the individuality of the couple.

Munkustrap had waited three years after coming of age to dance it with Demeter four years ago. The silver and black tabby, second in command of the Tribe, was strong and bold where the gold and black queen was shy and timid. She had danced in tiny, sudden movements, skipping lightly over the ground, while he followed after her and eventually caught her. In his arms it wasn't a trap, but rather safety; she had held onto him as if he were a lifeline, and he had lifted her gently, keeping her close to him for the rest of the night.

Cassandra and Alonzo had danced it five years ago, as soon as Alonzo came of age, although it was four years after Cassandra's own Ball. Both the sleek Burmese and the patched black-and-white tom had danced sensually, moving and twisting around each other, always touching in some way.

Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer came of age during the same Ball, six years ago. The two were a blur of orange, black, and white tiger stripes during their dance; they whirled around each other like a hurricane, never quite letting the others see what, exactly, they were doing. Their dance was pure chaos, completely uncontrolled, although both knew exactly which steps to take to keep it on the edge of disaster.

Bombalurina and the Rum Tum Tugger had danced it seven years ago, although no one had expected the two to last the four years after the Tugger came of age. Their moves made the young queens sigh with longing for the vested toms, and the young toms drool over the scarlet queen. Time and time again they darted together, only to separate briefly to dance on their own; but always they returned to each other as if magnetized.

The Mystic Cats Tantomile and Coricopat had danced together eight years ago, a year after Tantomile's Ball. Their every move was synchronized and graceful, but something about the steps seemed very unlike the usual Mating Dance. It was impossible to mistake it for anything else, though, with the passion that seemed both hidden just below the surface and bursting from every inch of them at the same time.

A long while before that, Jennyanydots and Skimbleshanks had danced it. Most of the Cats in the Tribe today had not witnessed their Dance; but those who had, the older adults, remembered it as tender and loving, perhaps the sweetest dance they had seen to date.

Gus the Theater Cat and Jellylorum were the odd couple out; they had become Mates late in life, only nineteen years ago, when Jellylorum was 32 and Gus was 43.

The white queen was more nervous than the tom, but they danced beautifully together. Cats would remember it in many different ways. Some saw only the joy of young love. Some saw the tom's eagerness, approaching the queen first and dancing with all the bliss of a tom who had found his true Mate. Some saw the slight hesitation of the white queen, the tremble of her leg as he ran his paw down it; she was scared, but who could blame her? She became an adult today.

None noticed the black and white tuxedo tom watching with saddened eyes. The time of wishing and hoping was over, and had ended long ago. He had lost his chance to the white queen the moment they began the Dance.

Plato slowly lowered Victoria to the ground, laying the white queen gently across the pile of Cats that shifted and writhed its way towards them, gathering in a drowsy pile. He dropped to the ground beside his Promised Mate, laying next to her and wrapping an arm around her Mate. No words were spoken among the Cats, but paws reached out to gently touch the shoulders, backs, and arms of the new adults before dropping once more.

Families and friends sought each other out in the pile, forming a complex weave of relationships. Etcetera moved to lie next to her friend Victoria, smiling at the thought of her own Ball in two years, and was joined by her sister Rumpleteazer and their parents, Skimbleshanks and Jennyanydots. Electra crawled and dropped next to Etcetera, a friend she had known since the year they both were born, and felt the presence of her brother Asparagus at her back, with her parents Jellylorum and Gus close behind. Tumblebrutus and Pouncival, brothers separated by a year but drawn together as the only blood relatives either one had, came to gather around Plato, who had been a close friend to both despite being three years older than Tumblebrutus. Jemima rolled over Etcetera to cuddle in closer to Victoria; the two had always been very close in spite of the five-year age difference.

Around the group in the center, the other Cats slowly drew together. Munkustrap and Demeter lay next to Bombalurina and the Rum Tum Tugger; the two brothers and the two sisters almost formed a small pile of their own on the outskirts. Cassandra and Alonzo lay twined together, with Cassandra's back pressed against that of her sister, Exotica. She had come of age four years ago, but still had no Mate, yet felt too old to join the kittens in their pile.

Mistoffelees slowly moved to lie near Tantomile and Coricopat. The two mystics acknowledged him briefly, but were too wrapped up in each other to really notice him. The two were always alone; Jemima, Tantomile's younger sister, rarely joined them, preferring the company of the kittens to that of her sister. Old Deuteronomy sat alone, on a junk-pile above the rest. Mistoffelees looked up at him and caught his eye; the elderly Leader gave him a warm smile, then his gaze fell on his two grown kittens. The Rum Tum Tugger and Munkustrap; as different as they could be, and as far in personality from his other son as possible. Macavity had once lain in the sleep-pile at the Ball, but now he was banned from the Tribe for his heinous crimes. He was no longer welcomed here.

Mistoffelees lay on the ground as the others did, letting his eyes drift shut as the music gradually faded from his ears, replaced by the sounds of contented Cats sleeping. He let his sorrow overwhelm him, all of his thoughts focused on the two Cats at the center of the Ball, fiercely desiring one and envying the other.

* * *

In the largest den of the Junkyard, another sleep-pile had formed.

This was Old Deuteronomy's den. All around it were piles of junk, and a gap in this was the entrance to the area. The walls and ceiling were held up by sturdy pieces of wood, and it had stood for many years already. The den was simple; a few blankets covered the dirt floor completely, with several more piled in the center to make a more comfortable sleeping area. It was on this that ten Cats lay.

The most noticeable was, of course, Bustopher Jones. The enormously fat tuxedo tom was snoring loudly, much to the amusement of the other nine of the den's occupants. He had once had a mate, a plump and cheerful black queen, but she had died shortly after giving birth to a son about five years ago. He hadn't been the same since, and the Jellicle Ball no longer held any appeal to him. So he volunteered to kitten-sit while the others danced.

This son was laying next to Bustopher now, tiny compared to the bulk of his father, but still tall and chubby compared to the others around his age. Jarilo had nearly the exact same coloring as Bustopher Jones, a black and white tuxedo cat, and his snoring was only slightly quieter. The other eight were piled on the blankets, but they hadn't fallen asleep yet.

The oldest was Veles, the youngest kitten of Jennyanydots and Skimbleshanks. His coloring was mostly that of his father's, an orange tabby, but he did have some of the red and gold coloring of his mother. He was twelve years now; next year he would be allowed to participate in the Jellicle Ball, and the kitten-pile would be one member less.

Next to Veles, the cousins Meret and Satis lay together. Meret was the oldest kitten of Demeter and Munkustrap; Satis was the only kitten of Bombalurina and the Rum Tum Tugger. Both showed a blend of their parents' colors; Satis was scarlet like her mother, with a black "vest," boots, and gloves. Meret was mostly her father's colors, a silver and black tabby, but with her mother's dark gold coloring her ears and her paws. Satis was older by two years, so she took it upon herself to watch over her three-year-old cousin, even though the little queen-kitten often annoyed her. On Meret's other side was Arion, her one-year-old brother. His coloring was almost identical to hers, although his ears didn't have the gold coloring. He was the youngest of the group, and was already sleeping soundly.

On Veles's other side were Clorinda and Laodice. Clorinda was the four-year-old kitten of Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer. Unsurprisingly, given that both her parents had nearly identical tiger stripes, Clorinda had the same orange, black, and white stripes of the tiger thieves. Also unsurprisingly, she had the same mischievous personality as the two; there was no doubt she would grow up to burglarize and terrorize the houses around the area. Laodice was a two-year-old, sleek brown with white gloves and a white patch on her right ear. Her parents were Cassandra and Alonzo.

Apart from the rest lay Hypnos and Thanatos, the three-year-old and seven-year-old sons of Tantomile and Coricopat. Both had the black and white calico colors, as well as the aloof and mysterious, distant personality, which was especially startling on two young tom-kittens.

Veles was scowling as he stared at the ceiling of the den. Just one year until he, too, could join in at the Jellicle Ball. But every year since he had turned ten went by so slowly, and each day was turning more tortuous. He no longer wanted to play with the younger kittens—he was too old for that! He was almost ready to go to the Ball!

It wasn't normally so bad; Jemima was the youngest of the group of older kittens, but also the kindest, and she would let him tag along. Or better, come play with him on her own! Even Pouncival, who was a year older than Jemima, still didn't mind his company sometimes. But the others, the older kittens—especially Etcetera, his older sister—didn't often enjoy his company. Asparagus wasn't mean to him most of the time, and neither were Plato or Victoria (although they would no longer be with that group, now that they were both nineteen this Ball); they were all too nice for that. But Electra and Tumblebrutus would tease him mercilessly if he tried to hang around with them. He wanted to join in the Jellicle Ball, so he could finally be in their group! But it always seemed so far away.

Satis shifted, and Veles realized that she had fallen asleep—as had the rest of the pile. He smiled, turning over to rearrange himself more comfortably on the pile of blankets, and let himself drift off.

As he fell asleep, he imagined a beautiful black and white queen who smiled at him and accepted him even though he was younger, coming forward to dance with him at his coming of age Ball.

* * *

The next morning, the Cats awoke and drifted out of their dens in pairs. Any Cat who had a Mate was with that Mate. Those who didn't congregated in groups, with family or with friends. The kittens were retrieved from Old Deuteronomy's den, and for a while all sat in silence. Not even Tugger flirted with his Mate or with his fan club. Not even Etcetera was giggling or squealing at anything. None of the Cats spoke at all.

Only one pair seemed even remotely close to the normal, happy chattering of the morning after the Jellicle Ball: Victoria and Plato. The new Promised Mates were sitting as close to one another as they could, Victoria in front of Plato, with his arms wrapped around her. Both were smiling despite the grim mood of most of the Tribe, and Plato leaned down every now and then to kiss the white queen gently on the lips. It made several members of the Tribe smile after simply looking at them, and many pairs of Mates drew closer together at the sight.

If any Cat noticed the slight sorrow and regret in her eyes, they said nothing. If any Cat noticed the faint hint of hurt in Plato's when she did not respond to his kisses, they remained silent. And if any Cat noticed the way Mistoffelees could not look at them, they held their tongue.

Veles was with the older kittens today, leaning against Jemima's shoulder and trying to control his expression—she looked distraught at something, and he thought it best that he didn't look blissful next to her. None of the others were protesting at his intrusion on their group. Etcetera, for once, didn't have a grin on her face, and Electra had her arms wrapped around her best friend, looking solemn. Tumblebrutus and Pouncival sat side-by-side, silent and grim. Asparagus sat with them, not looking at anything or anyone. The group had filled the gaps left by Victoria and Plato easily, but it was obvious they were missing their friends by the way they all kept looking over towards the couple.

But the most affected by last night's Ball was obviously Demeter. The gold and black queen was barely visible, buried by the fur of her family as she was. She held Arion tightly in her arms, with Meret clinging to her side stubbornly, sensing her mother's distress. Munkustrap was in the same pose as Plato with Victoria; behind his Mate, with his arms around her and his head resting on her shoulder. A bright splash of scarlet fur indicated Bombalurina, who was sitting as close as she could to her younger sister, leaning against her side with her paw on Demeter's shoulder. Even the Rum Tum Tugger, whom Demeter had a civil but hardly friendly relationship with, was there, next to his mate but with a comforting paw on the gold queen's leg. The petite Cat had her head down, but any time she looked up, tears were streaking down her face.

No one spoke for the longest time. The kittens were confused; the adults were contemplating Grizabella, wondering over the sad life that had returned to their lives, only to be taken away. They only hoped her new, different Jellicle Life was a better one than they had given her when she had come to their Tribe so many years ago.

* * *

_Fourteen Years Ago_

_Three queens entered the Junkyard cautiously and silently. Two of them could hardly be called queens, though: a tall scarlet kitten and a smaller golden one, who were enough alike to be sisters. They were led by a young, adult queen, with a sleek and beautiful brown coat. The brown queen looked about herself with the air of one who is familiar with an area, but has no reason to be welcomed there._

_And it became clear just how unwelcome there she was when the hisses and growls began, coming from all around her. The sisters huddled together; the younger one, the gold one, looked terrified, while the scarlet returned the hisses fiercely and kept a protective arm around the younger. The brown queen glared around at the noises._

"_Come out!" she yelled, baring her teeth. "I haven't come to hurt you! I only want to speak with your Leader. Come out, please!" The last plea was unlike the others; she was begging now, her voice desperate. She glanced anxiously at the two kittens in front of her. "Please!"_

_Finally, an orange tabby tom came out of a hidden den, glaring at the queen. When the brown queen peered into the opening of the den, she could see three more Cats in there; one a tabby queen who was glaring at her angrily, with a tiger-striped kitten queen holding one of her paws and looking out, almost frightened, and a white tabby kitten on her other paw, wide-eyed but smiling. She lifted a paw to wave to the unfamiliar queen and was promptly scolded by her mother. A snarl from the orange tabby made her look back at the tom._

"_Don't like me looking at your family, Skimble?" she asked, noting the tense stance and the raised fur on the cat. He snarled again._

"_Ye know why that is," he said, his Scottish accent thick. "Wha' do ye want here, Grizabella? And ye best make it quick, before we change our minds about havin' ye here."_

"_I have left Macavity," she announced, proud in her decision. The sudden silence that followed her remark showed the shock that it brought. "He is too cruel; I cannot work for him any longer. I come to ask for sanctuary, for myself and these two kittens. Their names are Demeter and Bombalurina."_

_Skimbleshanks's expression softened when he looked to the kittens, seemingly noticing them for the first time. "How old are ye, kits?" he questioned them, and the scarlet one answered for both._

"_I'm twelve," she stated, "and Demeter is eight."_

"_What are two kittens so young doing with a queen like _you_, Grizabella?" Jennyanydots hissed suddenly, coming forward from the den. She had left Etcetera, the white tabby, and Rumpleteazer, the tiger-striped, in there, and now both were looking out with wide eyes._

"_Better with me than with Macavity," Grizabella replied simply, drawing a surprised gasp from the watching Cats. She threw a scowl around the area, but saw none. She hadn't expected to; the Jellicles lived by hiding and staying hidden. One casual glance around would not reveal any that did not want to be seen._

"_Macavity?" Skimbleshanks questioned, concerned now. The orange tabby took a step towards Grizabella. "Explain."_

"_Very well," the brown queen said, not bothering to protest over being ordered. "These two kittens were abandoned by their mother…I should not say 'abandoned,' because that suggests that she left them. She did not _leave_ them, exactly, but abandonment is the best term for this, I think."_

"_Stop speaking in riddles, you Pollicle!" Jenny shouted suddenly, regretting this when Demeter flinched and Bombalurina growled at her threateningly. She lowered her voice, trying to control her temper. "Grizabella. Explain what you mean in simple terms. I don't believe any of the Tribe have the patience to hear you talk in circles."_

"_Very well," Grizabella said again, not at all phased. "Their mother brought them to Macavity's lair so she, herself, could join his tribe. She did not _exactly_ abandon the kittens, as I said, because she remained there with them and lived in the same quarters; but she rarely saw them at all, and spoke to them never. I took them in to protect them. And now I bring them to you."_

"_Why?" Skimbleshanks asked, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. "Why would you risk your life leaving Macavity, just to deliver two kittens to us? You know the punishment for betrayal of the Hidden Paw."_

_Grizabella chuckled at that. "Yes, I do know that; and that is why I've brought them. Life is cruel there. It is not the life for a kitten. That is the only explanation I give."_

"_We can't trust her," Jennyanydots said loudly, baring her teeth to the brown queen. "She's been given orders. The Hidden Paw would not flinch at using kittens to get his way. We can't trust her!"_

_This made more sense to the watching Cats than Grizabella's reasons; the hissing and snarling began again, but this time, glowing eyes began to appear all around. The Cats were emerging to chase the queen away from their home._

"_Wait, wait!" Grizabella pleaded desperately, drawing the kittens to her in a panic. Little Demeter clung to her, whimpering, but Bombalurina whipped her head around, adding her own growls to the chorus. "_Wait_! Give these kittens a chance! That's all I ask of you! I will leave, but care for the kittens!"_

"_Then leave them, and go." This voice was new; Grizabella looked to the side, seeing for the first time Jellylorum standing there. The two Cats glared at each other for a moment, then Grizabella slumped her shoulders in defeat._

"_Very well. But care for them, Jellylorum—I place this burden on you and you alone. Take care of them and raise them well."_

"_And don't return," Jellylorum hissed. "You won't be welcome here."_

"_That, I cannot promise," Grizabella said with a smirk. "You may not see me here for some time; but I will be back. I promise you _that_, my dear Jellicles."_

**A/N: So, this is a story I've been working on for a while. I've got everything planned out and about half of the story written already, so I feel it's safe to say that it'll be about ten chapters long.**

**Like it? Hate it? Feedback is just lovely, and constructive criticism would make me _very_ happy!**


	2. Chapter Two

**Disclaimer: Disclaimer: I do not own CATS the musical or any of the characters found within this story, except for those you don't recognize.**

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**Chapter Two**

Demeter woke with tears on her cheeks.

She didn't cry anymore once she was awake; she had done enough of that in her sleep, reliving her kittenhood at night. She remembered a cold and aloof mother, and an overprotective scarlet sister. She remembered the terror of meeting the Ginger Cat for the first time, the relief of hearing he had gone away. And she remembered the queen that had cared for her when she most needed it; a beautiful brown queen named Grizabella.

At the thought of the name, she almost began to bawl again, but stopped herself. No. Demeter would not cry again. Her days as a petrified kitten were over; she was here now, with the weight of two kittens resting on her stomach and legs, and the arms of her Mate around her. She snuggled deeper into his arms, feeling his fur brushing against her back, and smiled faintly. She was far from her kittenhood now; things could not be more different.

"Demeter?" Munkustrap muttered groggily, opening his eyes a slit. She turned to face him, and immediately he took on a look of concern. "You were crying."

She felt her cheeks absentmindedly, forgetting the tears that had been there. She smiled again, but it wobbled a little as she remembered the reasons for them. But she refused to cry anymore.

"I'm fine," she whispered, trying not to wake the kittens. "Just thinking…about _her_."

There was no need to clarify who she was talking about. Grizabella was the only _her_ that Demeter thought about with tears right now. The first morning had been the hardest; the second had not been much better. But she was getting better, slowly but surely, and perhaps soon she would be able to think of the Glamour Cat with joy.

As soon as the thought came to her, she banished it. Her time spent with Grizabella was not a happy one, despite the love she had for the old brown queen. It never had been, and now there would never be a chance for it. But she hoped to be able to think of her friend and caretaker without this overwhelming grief one day. She closed her eyes again, enjoying the closeness and warmth of her Mate for a moment. But it was not to last, because the mother of two young kittens didn't often get these moments of peace, and never for long.

"Mama? Mama!" The voice was male and young; Arion. Demeter sighed, freeing herself from Munkustrap's arms and sitting up reluctantly, gathering Arion up and smiling down at him.

"What is it, Arion? Are you hungry?"

"Hung'y!" Arion whined, grasping at his mother's fur desperately.

"Okay, sweetie. We'll go find you some food," Demeter soothed, then reached down to gently shake Meret awake.

"Hung'y!" Arion insisted, beginning to whimper as Meret yawned and opened her eyes. The three year old looked at her mother with wide eyes.

"What wrong, Mama?" she asked, blinking in a way that had Demeter feeling almost guilty about waking her.

"Are you hungry, Meret? Would you like to go find some food with your brother and I?"

"'Kay," Meret replied simply, still only halfway woken. She stood slowly, and Demeter rose to her own feet and grasped her paw, still holding Arion.

"Would you like to come, Munkustrap?" she asked then. Her Mate simply rolled over and grinned up at her.

"No, I think I'll sleep a little while longer," he said, teasing her a little with the thought of sleep. When she frowned, pressing her lips together, he added, "But I'll be getting up soon to go on patrol. So maybe I'll see you in the 'Yard."

Appeased, Demeter nodded, then left the den. Meret waved to her father as she left and yelled, "Bye Daddy!" Arion copied her immediately with a jumbled, "Buh Dada!"

Munkustrap rolled back over to wave at his kittens and his Mate, but they had already disappeared out of the entrance to the den. He yawned and flexed his claws, dragging them across the dirt floor exposed beneath the blankets that normally covered it. Then he rose gracefully, stepping out of the den and beginning his patrol.

As second in command of the Tribe, it technically wasn't his duty to do this. Patrolling the Junkyard was a job given to Alonzo, who was the third in command, but Munkustrap was often restless. He enjoyed patrolling around the Yard and visiting all of the Cats, especially the days after the Ball. Sometimes Alonzo joined him; but the patched tom was sleeping late today, apparently, because there was no sign of him as Munkustrap emerged.

The silver and black tabby tom strolled casually around the Yard, occasionally pausing to search for the source of a noise but finding nothing out of the ordinary. The Yard was quiet this morning, which was something he hadn't wanted; it gave him too much time to think about too many things.

The Tribe had always lived a peaceful life. There were rarely fights within the Tribe, and even more rarely were there problems from the outside. Pollicle dogs had learned long ago to leave the Tribe alone, and even if they resented the Cats with all their being, they were smart enough to see that the risk of injury against such a large tribe outweighed any benefits their defeat could have. Of course, there was Macavity; but the Ginger Cat had been quiet as of late. His stunt at the Jellicle Ball was hardly the worst he had ever done to the Tribe, and it only seemed like a half-hearted attempt. Perhaps he had given up?

Munkustrap shook his head to clear the thought. Macavity did not simply 'give up.' He would have to be more alert than ever.

As the day wore on, Cats began to emerge. Victoria and Plato were two of the first, still walking close to each other. Plato's arm drifted around Victoria's waist; the white cat did not respond. Plato pulled his Promised Mate closer to himself; Victoria still did nothing in return, but after a moment she smiled up at the brown and white. Munkustrap narrowed his eyes. Something was not right there.

Then the kittens ran by next in a colorful blur—and Munkustrap was sure he had seen some silver and black tabby colors in there, so apparently Demeter had let Meret run to play with the others. He smiled as they flew by, pursued by a frazzled-looking dark tabby.

"In charge of the kittens today, Electra?" he questioned, and gained himself a glare from the kitten-queen. "Do you need any help?"

"Etcetera is _supposed_ to be helping," she growled, angry. "If you see her, will you tell her I'm going to kill her?"

"I'll send her your way," Munkustrap said instead of agreeing, not surprised by the tabby's threat. Electra didn't have the best temper on a good day, and attempting to control the kittens wasn't an easy task on your own. "Better catch up before they get away," he pointed out, and got himself another glare for his troubles before she ran off.

He sighed and shook his head, starting forward again before leaping backwards—Jemima and Veles had just darted past. Jemima came to a screeching halt a few feet away, and Veles only ran a few steps more before he realized she had stopped. The black and white kitten was smiling apologetically to Munkustrap.

"Sorry, Munk," she said sheepishly. "We weren't watching where we were going."

"Yeah, sorry, Munkustrap," Veles repeated after her, obviously looking to gain the older kitten's approval. She looked over at him fondly, and the orange tabby's grin nearly broke his face.

"Don't worry about it," Munkustrap said, watching Veles watch Jemima out of the corner of his eye while addressing the queen-kitten. "Just be more care—" And they were off again! The reason became apparent when another colorful blur ran by—Pouncival, laughing hysterically at something, with Asparagus and Tumblebrutus hot in pursuit. The three youngest were still laughing madly when they disappeared around a pile of junk, the two older toms furiously trailing them. Munkustrap stared for only a split second. This was just a normal day at the Yard.

His thoughts strayed back to his Mate—she had been crying again that morning. She hid her sorrow well during the day; many thought she was weak because she was so timid and shy much of the time, but they didn't realize how much she held in and hid. She mourned for Grizabella, but she didn't show the world. No one but he knew about it.

Sometimes he wanted to curse and rage at the Glamour Cat, but that would get him nowhere—and he had to be grateful to her, in any case. No matter what she had done in the past, and she had done such awful things. No matter how much sorrow she was causing Demeter now, it was not on purpose. The brown queen had had good intentions from the day she stole Demeter and Bombalurina away from Macavity to the day she went up to the Heaviside Layer.

And she had brought him Demeter.

* * *

_Sixteen Years Ago_

_Ten-year-old Munkustrap loved to play at being the Leader, as he knew he would be someday. Oh, sure, his brother the Rum Tum Tugger was older, but the thirteen-year-old vested tom-kitten had already made it perfectly clear that he didn't want the responsibility. And his other brother…well…Macavity had left years ago without a second thought. He was twenty-two years old now, or so Munkustrap thought, and he hadn't been in the Tribe since he was eighteen. Mention of his name was rare in the Tribe now, other than the whispers of his horrible deeds._

_He perched himself up on the big pile of cars—it was the perfect view of the _entire_ Junkyard, which was something no other view could boast. Okay, so maybe his father Old Deuteronomy would get angry that he had climbed up there, but it was worth it._

_Besides, no matter how angry his father ever was, he never stayed mad for _too_ long or punished Munkustrap _too_ harshly._

_Because of this view, Munkustrap was the first to see the sleek, smooth-furred brown queen strut into the Junkyard as if she owned it. The silver tabby felt his fur raise in excitement—he'd show _her_ who owned the Yard!_

_Tugger would probably go up to the queen and flirt with her instead. Alonzo would probably do the same—he was Munkustrap's friend, but always trying to impress Tugger. But Munkustrap would act like a _real_ Leader._

"_Halt!" he yelled, making his voice deeper than it really was, and the brown queen froze in surprise. "Who goes there?"_

_Below him, Grizabella chuckled inwardly. The voice sounded like it was a tom-kitten trying to sound like an adult, and like an authoritative one at that. She would play along; after all, it could only help her chances of getting into this Tribe. She made her eyes go wide and froze in place._

"_W-who's there?" she stammered, acting like a nervous queen in the presence of an intimidating tom. She could almost feel the tom-kit's delight._

"_Who are _you_?" Munkustrap asked in return, feeling proud and clever at the same time. _Ha_, he thought, _I'll bet Tugger and Alonzo wouldn't have frightened her like that.

_The queen looked around for him, but couldn't find the source of the voice, so she answered. "Grizabella, sir!" she yelled at no one, and Grizabella thought the 'sir' at the end was a nice touch. She would have this little tom-kitten wrapped around her paw at the end of this, and it wouldn't be a far step to the other kittens and their parents from there. "I've only just come in off the streets—I've come to ask for sanctuary! Please, let me speak to your Leader, sir!"_

_Munkustrap grinned to himself. She had called him 'sir'! He climbed carefully and silently down from the pile of cars, skirting around the edge of the pile and approaching her from behind._

"_Here I am!" he cried, and the queen whirled around, one paw coming up to her chest in shock. Munkustrap laughed, but his eyes were shining and warm as he looked over the beautiful queen._

Yes,_ Grizabella thought, _this kitten is already mine.

"_My name is Munkustrap; the Leader is my father. I'll take you to him," he offered, all pretense and play-acting gone—for him, at least. Grizabella was inwardly thrilled that the kitten she had 'played' with was in such a high position._

"_Oh, thank you, Munkustrap," Grizabella said, simply oozing gratitude. "I can't express how relieved I am to have a place to stay here…that is, if I can stay," she added at the end. Munkustrap looked aghast at the thought she might not._

"_Of course you'll be able to stay!" he said with passion, "And I'll make sure my father lets you!"_

"_Oh, thank you, Munkustrap," Grizabella said again, smiling warmly. The kitten took her paw, thrilling at the touch, and began to lead her towards Old Deuteronomy's den._

_The next night, Grizabella snuck out of her appointed den and out of the Junkyard. She moved with stealth, sticking to shadows as much as she could until she reached her destination. Once she was there, a black Cat awaited her._

"_Grizabella," he greeted curtly, and with distaste._

"_Henchcat," Grizabella replied; she never bothered to learn their names. She saw the black Cat's teeth grit with irritation and smirked at that._

"_Do you have any information for us?" he asked in what was meant to be a toneless voice, but the brown queen could hear the anger in it. She shook her head mutely, wanting to bait the Cat._

"_You have no information?" he asked, again striving to be toneless but failing miserably. This time, a hint of panic slipped through, along with multiplied anger. Again Grizabella shook her head in silence._

"_Macavity wants information," the henchcat hissed, forgetting about his supposed emotionless attitude. "If he doesn't get it, someone will be punished."_

"_And who will that be?" Grizabella asked sweetly. "Not me, surely. Not his best spy, and the only Cat working for him unknown to the Tribe. Not me, his favorite little queen. Perhaps it will be you, the messenger bringing bad news?" Now there was definite panic in the henchcat's eyes. Macavity was not known for showing mercy._

_Grizabella merely grinned. "So, we'll see about that information next week. Until then, I would stay out of Macavity's way, hmm?" She turned and sauntered off, giving an extra swing of her hips just to spite the black Cat. She knew it had worked when she heard him hiss with anger._

* * *

**A/N:** So here's the second chapter already! I think I'll keep updating twice a week for a while. Sound good? Does to me! Gotta let myself get ahead, or else the updated chapter will catch up with the written chapter, and that's never good...

If the story's a bit confusing now (the Grizabella parts, I mean), just wait a while. It'll all pull together, I swear.

And my computer's flipping out a little bit, so if I don't reply to a review...that's why. I've been trying. But it just doesn't work sometimes. But I appreciate every review I get.


	3. Chapter Three

**Disclaimer: I do not own CATS the musical or any of the characters found within this story, except for those you don't recognize.**

**Chapter Three**

"Ready?" Jemima whispered as quietly as she could, looking over to catch the insane grins on Veles and Pouncival's faces. She gave her own in return before looking back at their victims: Asparagus and Tumblebrutus.

"Okay, on three," she said softly, and all three raised the filled water balloons (swiped from a few humans) in their paws, eyeing the two tom-kittens sleeping soundly below them.

"One…" Jemima whispered, getting ready. "Two…"

"Hey, guys, what're you doing?" The cheerful voice of Etcetera was usually appreciated, but now the three kittens froze, water balloons still in paws. Etcetera skipped into view, grinning happily and waving just as Asparagus and Tumblebrutus woke with a start. It didn't take long for them to notice the water balloons, then to make the connection. Tumblebrutus growled.

"You little Pollicles!" he snarled, leaping to his feet with Asparagus close behind. The toms lunged for the three kittens, who shrieked and dived in the opposite direction, dropping the water balloons. They splattered against the ground, and would have soaked the legs of the three kittens had they not already taken off running, with Asparagus and Tumblebrutus close behind.

There was no need for stealth now that they were discovered—the three went shrieking and yelling, disturbing the sleep of any families in the dens they passed by. Yells followed them as they ran, both from the pursuing Cats and the woken ones.

The chase couldn't last forever, especially since the three younger kittens were shorter, and couldn't run as fast as the older ones. Asparagus and Tumblebrutus caught up after a few minutes, reaching out to grab at the tails of the younger ones. Jemima put on a sudden burst of speed as a paw brushed her tail, but Pouncival was too slow. He yowled in pain as he was yanked backwards, falling as Jemima shrieked again.

"Hurry, Veles!" she screamed, grabbing the young tom by the paw and pulling him forward. Veles was secretly ecstatic at the touch, so he sped up to keep up with the queen-kitten as they ran. Fortunately for the both of them, Tumblebrutus and Asparagus had fallen on Pouncival, hissing, scratching, and snarling at the younger tom. Jemima glanced back but kept running, pulling on Veles's paw. She let go once they were far enough to be safe, but didn't stop running until a mass of silver and black loomed up in front of them, jumping back just in time to avoid being hit.

Jemima stopped immediately, Veles only going a little further before he realized she wasn't next to him any longer. He slowed to a stop, looking back at her anxiously—had she decided to go back for Pouncival after all? Had she decided that she'd rather not be with just him?

But, no, there she was, just apologizing to Munkustrap.

"Sorry, Munk," she was saying in that always-sweet, pure voice of hers. He wished he could have heard that voice singing during the Jellicle Ball; she had done an encore of the song for him the day after the Ball, but he wished he could have been there to hear it the first time. "We weren't watching where we were going."

"Yeah, sorry, Munkustrap," Veles chimed in, throwing a swift glance at Jemima and grinning broadly when he saw her smile approvingly at him.

Munkustrap was opening his mouth to say something else, but Veles focused his attention on something behind the silver tabby. Was that—?

Jemima jumped forward, grabbing onto Veles's paw again and dragging him forward as Pouncival, Tumblebrutus, and Asparagus came into view. Pouncival had apparently gotten away, and now he came tearing in their direction, looking a little roughed up but not too bad. The two older toms, on the other hand, were more furious than ever.

The chase continued for a few more minutes before the younger kittens realized the desperate need for an escape. Jemima had an idea suddenly.

"Come on!" she yelled, then quieted slightly so the pursuers wouldn't hear her plan. "I bet my sister will help us."

The three kittens changed directions, panting and giggling as they ran. Tumble and Asparagus didn't even seem to notice the change in direction, but they were tiring of all this running, letting themselves drop back and consider different activities for the day. They wouldn't let the kittens go quite yet, but they weren't going to exhaust themselves running all over.

Jemima dove into a hidden den, screeching as she crashed headfirst into a large mass of black and white calico fur. Pouncival and Veles came sliding in after, just barely managing to avoid the tangle of Cats. Tumblebrutus and Asparagus stopped outside and growled with frustration, but turned and stalked off. Coricopat and Tantomile were a little too creepy for their tastes.

Slowly the Mystic Cats stood, Coricopat smiling and almost laughing, Tantomile looking only slightly amused.

"Jemima," she began slowly, "I am surprised to see you here."

"Sorry, Tant," Jemima panted, still giggling a little. "We thought we would come here for refuge. Tumble and Asparagus are a little mad at us."

"Is there a reason for that?" Coricopat questioned, still smiling.

"We might have been planning on hitting them with water balloons," Veles admitted, shrugging, unashamed.

"But they woke up before we did, so it's not like we did anything wrong," Pouncival added, grinning.

Tantomile let herself smirk now. "Of course not. And I suppose you didn't consider what you would be interrupting here, and how _we_ would react to that?"

"Um…_did_ we interrupt something?" Jemima asked warily. Coricopat nodded, on the verge of breaking out into laughter now.

"In fact, you did. Something I mind being interrupted a bit more than sleep."

Pouncival and Veles look at each other with wide eyes, but Jemima just rolled hers. Then the calicos stood, their figures suddenly impressive and imposing. The three kittens backed towards the entrance.

"So perhaps you should leave," Tantomile hinted, eyeing the door.

The kittens squealed, tumbling over each other in their haste to escape, giggling and laughing. Tantomile and Coricopat looked at each other, both amused now. Their reputations in the Tribe could be quite useful sometimes.

Outside, and once at a safe distance, the trio came to a stop, collapsing onto each other and still laughing. They stayed like this for some time; any time one would stop laughing, another would break up harder and start the process over again. It wasn't until Victoria approached and interrupted that they stopped.

"What happened to you?" she asked, one paw coming up to cover her mouth and hide her giggles. Jemima looked up, her fur messy and not quite able to wipe the grin off her face.

"Hi, Vicky!" she said happily, jumping up and rushing to hug her friend. The two hadn't really been able to be together since the day before the Jellicle Ball; Victoria had always been with Plato. "What have you been up to?"

"I've been with Plato," the white Cat said, smiling slyly. "Do you want to hear about it?"

"Of course!" Jemima yelled, startling the other Cats. "Let's go! And you'll have to tell me about the Dance, too! You looked so beautiful," she said enviously, sighing. Victoria smiled.

"But your songs…and you sang with Grizabella, too," Victoria said, closing her eyes briefly as she remembered. "No one has a voice like yours."

The queen and queen-kitten had begun to drift away, heading off to walk on their own. Pouncival shrugged, unaffected by being abandoned by the females, and started to jog off too. Veles looked after him.

"Hey, where're you going?" he shouted, and the tom-kitten looked back at him.

"Well, since Victoria's here, I figure Plato's got to be alone. So I'm going to bother him for a while. See ya, Vellie," he said, purposely using a nickname Veles hated to irritate the kit. Veles scowled, then turned towards Victoria and Jemima, running to catch up. When he did, Jemima looked surprised to see him, and Victoria didn't look happy at his appearance.

"Veles," she said, hesitating. "What are you doing here? Aren't you playing with Pouncival?"

"He went to find Plato," the orange tabby said, smiling at both the queens (but mostly at Jemima).

"Vel," Jemima began, then paused. "Vel, listen. Me and Vicky wanted to be alone for a while. Do you mind?"

Veles felt his ears droop to the sides. "Oh…right. Sorry to bother you. I'll just leave now." He turned, starting to walk away. Waiting for Jemima to call out to him to stay, like she had always done when the older kittens wanted him to leave them alone. She had always wanted him to come back.

He waited ten seconds. Nothing. Another thirty. Still nothing. After a full minute, he turned to look.

Nothing.

The queens were gone.

Jemima hadn't wanted him with her.

She had left him.

* * *

Jemima and Victoria just continued walking, unaware of the heartbroken tom-kitten they'd left behind. Jemima was gleeful at seeing the white queen again—now she could truly be called a queen.

"Vicky! Tell me about the Dance, now," she demanded, linking her arms around Victoria's. "I want to know what it was like doing it, with all the Cats watching you…but then, I guess you'd be used to that," she thought out loud. Victoria shook her head.

"No, nothing like that. Dancing with Mi—dancing the Invitation Dance isn't anything like doing the Mating Dance," she said, stopping herself before she could name the Conjuring Cat that she danced the Invitation with. Jemima didn't miss this; she eyed the white queen critically, but Victoria went on before she could say anything.

"Dancing with Plato is easy. He makes it easy…he just wants to please me so badly, like a cute little Pollicle puppy," she giggled, imagining the tall, broad tom as a little, floppy-eared Pollicle dog. "I wasn't worried about the Cats watching; they've all seen me dance before. I wasn't nervous."

_That_ Jemima recognized as a blatant lie. She jerked free of her friend, halting and turning to face her with a frown. The queen-kitten folded her arms, glaring at her friend.

"Victoria, that's not true. Maybe the others didn't see it, but I know you. You _were_ nervous, and if you're lying to me about it now, then there's a reason. A _serious_ reason."

"I wasn't—" Victoria began, but was cut off.

"Don't try to fool me, Vicky," Jemima said, then smirked. "I know you too well. And I think I can figure this out even _without_ you saying anything to me."

Now Victoria was glaring too; the two Cats stood, eyes locked in a staring contest, before Victoria broke the silence.

"Fine, then," she stated curtly, "tell me."

"I think you're in love with Mistoffelees," Jemima said, and Victoria gaped for a moment. The queen-kitten grinned. "I'm right, aren't I? You're in love with Mistoffelees, but you danced with Plato. Why would you dance with Plato if you don't love him?"

"_Exactly_!" Victoria hissed. "I wouldn't!"

"So you do love him, too," Jemima mused, ignoring her friend's growling. "Oh, I see now! You do love Mistoffelees—you can't convince me otherwise. You love Mistoffelees, but you love Plato too. But you're not _in_ love with him. You love him just enough that you want to make him happy, and you know that he's in love with you. So you danced with him. Now, where does Mistoffelees fit into all of this?"

"I thought you'd already figured that one out," Victoria snarled, uncharacteristically angry. Jemima didn't seem to notice or care.

"Oh, I've figured out _your_ feelings for _him_. But what about _his_ for _you_?"

"Just drop it, Jemima!" Victoria cried desperately, ears flattening against her head and tail lashing behind her.

"Oh, fine," Jemima huffed, turning and beginning to walk off again. After a moment, Victoria joined her.

"I've missed you, though," she said, smiling faintly. Jemima stared for a second, still a little irritated, then broke out in a grin and wrapped an arm around the taller Cat.

* * *

_Two Months Earlier_

"_Victoria?" The voice was shy and hesitant; the white queen-kitten looked up to see who it was._

"_What is it, Plato?" she asked, confused. Plato was normally the bold one, the Cat who never got nervous or worried about anything. His attitude now was confusing._

"_Victoria, can I…I mean, would you…can we talk?" he asked, and now the white Cat was worried about him._

"_Of course, Plato, you can always talk to me." It was true; Victoria and Plato had always been close friends, able to talk to each other about anything they needed to. The pair was always there for each other._

"_I meant, uh, alone—could we go somewhere? In private?" Victoria looked around at the other Cats in the area. There weren't many—Tumblebrutus and Electra were attempting to watch the younger kittens today, while Etcetera and Pouncival had gotten bored of sitting around and went off to do something else. Asparagus had been learning to act from his father, Gus the Theater Cat, lately. Only Jemima and Veles, forever hanging around the black and white queen-kitten, were there. Plato normally didn't mind their presence, no matter what he had to say._

"_Of course, Plato. I'll be back in a little while, okay, Jemi?" Jemima nodded mutely, focusing all of her attention on the ground in front of her. She and Veles were playing a game of some sort there, but Victoria couldn't figure it out._

_The two kittens, although they were nearly out of their kittenhood, walked in silence for a while. Then Plato spoke._

"_The Jellicle Ball is in a few months," he began, stating the obvious. Victoria smiled._

"_I know. It's exciting, isn't it? We're both going to become adults. You'll be a tom and I'll be a queen." She sighed happily; she had been waiting for her Ball for so long._

"_And able to take Mates," Plato said, glancing over at the white Cat before looking back at the dirt. Victoria tensed a little—so _this_ was the reason he had asked her to speak in private._

"_Victoria, I—I think I love you," he whispered, then shook his head. "No. I _know_ I love you, but I don't expect you to love me. But please…if you do…will you dance the Mating Dance with me? Will you become my Mate?" He was staring at her now, with wide brown eyes that seemed impossible to refuse. Yet that was exactly what he was bracing for—a refusal. Somehow, this sweet tom couldn't imagine her ever saying yes._

_Victoria didn't have much time to think, so she answered without thinking. She didn't consider her feelings for him, or for—for any other tom. She didn't consider the consequences of her answer. She only thought of his huge eyes, waiting for the refusal that would crush his heart._

"_Yes, Plato. Of course I'll become your Mate."_

_And as his face lit up with pure joy, unlike any she had seen on him before, she didn't let herself think of what she was giving up._

* * *

**A/N:** This is my favorite chapter so far (of everything I've written). It's probably not the best, though, because that's usually just how things work out. I just loved writing it, though. :) So I hope you feel the same way about it as I do!

And just to make something clear, yes, this does take place on the same day as the previous chapter...so now you see why the kittens were running past Munkustrap all in a hurry.


	4. Chapter Four

**Disclaimer: CATS does not belong to me. I'm just playing with it for a while.**

* * *

**Chapter Four**

"Hi, Bomba!" Bombalurina shut her eyes, gritting her teeth and letting only a faint hiss escape before she turned, schooling her expression as she faced the queen-kitten in front of her.

"Etcetera," she said simply, not letting herself show any emotion. It wasn't this kitten's fault. It wasn't Etcetera's fault any more than it was Jemima's, or Electra's, or Victoria's. Just like it wasn't Cassandra's fault, or Tantomile's. Just like it wasn't the fault of any of the queens in the Tribe but her own.

But when faced with the cheerful white tabby, it was _oh so hard_ to make herself realize this.

"What are you doing up here?" Etcetera asked, plopping herself down on the ground next to the scarlet queen. "Oh, wow! It's nice up here, isn't it? You can see the whole Yard, can't you? I wonder why no one else is ever up here!"

Bombalurina let out another tiny hiss, but the white tabby didn't hear it. "I came up here to be alone and think, Cettie. I just wanted some time to think. And none of the other Cats come up here because it's hard to climb up."

"Oh," Etcetera said, looking puzzled. "I didn't think it was that hard."

"Of course _you_ didn't," the scarlet queen said, most of her anger gone and replaced by the amusement that the tabby seemed to spread wherever she went. "You're a natural acrobat."

Etcetera grinned. "So how'd you get up here if it's so hard?"

"Very, very carefully." Bombalurina had spent five minutes just climbing up the big pile of cars—much more carefully than Etcetera had, shooting up with an innate knowledge of how to best find her way up, and even more carefully than young Munkustrap had all those years ago, on that first day Grizabella came to the Yard.

"So whatcha up here for?" Etcetera asked, apparently forgetting about Bombalurina's answer from barely a minute ago.

"To think, Cettie. To be alone and to think."

Even the white tabby, admittedly slower to catch on than most Cats, caught the hint behind that thought. She immediately looked remorseful.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Bomba! I didn't realize you wanted to be alone. I'll leave now, 'kay?"

"It's fine, Etcetera," Bombalurina laughed, only forcing it a little. "Where are the other kittens?"

Etcetera didn't object to the label 'kitten' as much as the others did. "Tumblebrutus and Asparagus are sleeping—or, well, they were. But then they woke up and saw Jemima and Pouncival and Veles standing over them. Maybe they were planning on doing something to them, 'cause Tumble and 'Sparrie got real mad and started chasing them. And Electra's watching the ki—Rumpus! I was supposed to help her kitten-sit today! Bye Bomba!" The white tabby was already halfway down the pile, instinctively finding the best path. The scarlet queen shook her head and rearranged herself on her stomach, watching the kitten's path across the Junkyard for a few minutes, until she disappeared around another pile.

Then Bomba was back to the reason she was up here.

The appearance of Etcetera had only made it worse. Etcetera reminded her of just what kind of Cats Tugger had been flirting with during the entire Ball. Kittens. Kittens not quite adults yet, not quite old enough to know what they were doing. He had spent the night shaking his tail for any queen who looked his way: Rumpleteazer, Cassandra, Tantomile, Electra, Etcetera, Victoria…even Jemima, the youngest Cat at the Ball! Rumpus, he had spent a lot of time during Mistoffelees's number with his arms around Electra and Etcetera!

That, in itself, was not an issue. The Tugger flirted. She'd known it from the moment she first met him. She'd known it when she danced the Mating Dance with him, and when they became Mates officially. She knew it now. Everlasting Cat, she was just as bad a flirt as he was, it wasn't like she could really complain about _that_. No matter how much he wiggled his hips for the other queens, they all knew that his hips belonged to _her_. The Rum Tum Tugger was hers, and no one else's.

But he had never shoved her away before, flatly refusing her in the middle of his number (and in front of the whole Tribe!). And no matter what, he was always in the mood for some fun after the Ball. But not this year. And that worried her.

She knew him too well to convince herself not to be worried. His "disobliging ways" weren't just a line in his song. Had he gotten bored with her? After seven years together and a kitten, had he had enough of her?

It wasn't easy to hang onto the vested tom. Or, it hadn't been for any other queens after him, before Bomba had come and danced the Mating Dance with him. He was forever changing lovers, dropping a queen whenever the whim came on him and breaking hearts left and right. Most of the queens in the Tribe had seen him at one point or another, and had their heart broken. For many, more than once. But still they flocked around him and swooned over him. Bombalurina often pitied them; those with Mates were happy with theirs, and those without would soon have Mates of their own to be happy with, but none had been able to hold onto the Rum Tum Tugger.

Last night had seen her join that crowd, begging for his attention and being dropped like just another squealing kitten.

She didn't know how much more of that she could take from her Mate.

* * *

"Pollicles!" Macavity snarled, pacing back and forth in his "office." The office was truly nothing more than an alleyway, decorated with old shipping crates that served as rooms. An impressive stack of these crates at the end was the Hidden Paw's lair, and only those favored by him were allowed into it. At the moment, none of his agents were in his favor.

"Pollicles!" he swore again, turning suddenly to slash a claw across the nearest object. The cardboard box, already soggy and falling apart with rain, collapsed. The ginger Cat wasn't appeased at all. "That damned kitten! If she hadn't found me out so soon, our goal would have been accomplished easily! She dares defy me? I gave her mother shelter, a place to live, and she _dares_ defy me? Damn her to the Basements!"

The tall, broad Cats around him didn't even flinch at Macavity's rage. They were far too used to it by now, and however insane with anger he may be at the moment, he wouldn't strike at them. These were Macavity's favored agents, those that had performed best under him and were now in charge of the lower agents. They knew better than to show any sign of fear.

"But perhaps striking during the Jellicle Ball wasn't the wisest course of action," he mused, calming now as his intelligent mind began to play out other scenarios. "The kidnapping, and then the sudden return, right in the middle of their festivities? Not my best planning, I suppose. Too obvious. But then, I do have a taste for the dramatic. No sense in plotting something if it isn't something to be remembered. Perhaps a…different surprise would be in store. I think it's time to teach that Tribe just how powerful Macavity can be."

The Cats almost smiled now, though the expression was far from anything a normal Cat might show. This wasn't an expression of joy; this was bloodlust.

Macavity's mind was working at its full capacity now. The Napoleon of Crime hadn't gained that title through insanity, through idiotic schemes, or through simply being cruel. It took brains and skill to rise to the level of terror he now inspired through any Cat who heard his name.

He smiled, and this smile was somehow even worse than the ones shown by his agents.

"Yes, I think it's time we taught my former Tribe just who it is they're dealing with."

* * *

_Fourteen Years Ago_

"_Grizzie? Grizzie, is that you?" Grizabella stepped from the shadows, smiling warmly at the nervous gold kitten in front of her._

"_Yes, Demeter, it's me. Don't worry; I told you I wouldn't let anything or anyone hurt you, and have I broken my promise yet?"_

"_No, Grizzie," Demeter replied, relaxing the tiniest bit at the sight of the brown queen. She even gave a tiny smile, a rare point of sunlight in the lives of those who served Macavity. Grizabella lived to see the gold kitten's smiles, as if it had been her own kitten and not one she merely looked after._

"_I told you, I can protect you, Deme!" Bombalurina growled, scowling at Grizabella angrily. When it came to her sister, Bombalurina was adamant—_she_ was the one to take care of her sister. She liked Grizabella well enough when she wasn't trying to take care of Demeter, but when the older queen seemed to be trying to step into her place, she was a snarling, hissing menace._

"_Of course you can, Bomba," Grizabella reassured the scarlet kitten. "And you do it better than anyone else. But it's not so bad to have help sometimes, is it?"_

_Bombalurina growled, but nodded reluctantly. Demeter beamed at her sister, and the older kitten seemed even more placated. She, too, lived for her sister's smiles._

"_But we don't have time for this now, my dears," Grizabella whispered, glancing towards the door. Macavity's lair now was a large, empty room in an abandoned building—more luxurious than anything else he'd had before. Every Cat in his service was hoping this one would last a long time before they moved. Right now, they were off on some business; Grizabella wasn't sure exactly what it was. Ever since the Jellicle Tribe had discovered her betrayal and her mission had failed, she had been left out of the loop. "Come on. We're leaving now."_

"_Where are we going?" Bombalurina demanded, ears flat, but looking hopeful._

"_To the Jellicle Tribe I told you about. This may be the only chance we get for a while; we're not often alone here, are we?"_

"_Macavity doesn't trust us to stay," Demeter mumbled, whimpering a little. The ginger cat frightened her, and he enjoyed every moment of her terror. "He thinks we'll run the moment we're alone."_

"_And he's right, Demeter," Grizabella said, smirking. "So he was stupid to leave us on our own, wasn't he? Let's go, now."_

"_Won't they hate us?" Bombalurina questioned, bold now. "Because of what you did?"_

_Grizabella almost hissed at the little scarlet kitten, but managed to hold it in. "They'll hate me, Bomba, but they'll accept you. I'll make sure they accept you, no matter what. I promise you both. You'll finally have a real home."_

* * *

**A/N:** It is Wednesday, right? The 21st of May? Because it feels like Tuesday so I'm getting a slightly guilty feeling for updating (because my obsessiveness has led to a plan to update only on Sundays and Wednesdays, don't ask why, I won't tell you).

I call this the necessary evil chapter. Why? Because I don't like it and it's short, but there's nothing I can do to make it better and it is necessary. I can't even remember writing it, to be quite honest (because I wrote it on the same day as chapter one), other than the fact that I had more fun than strictly necessary while annoying Bomba with Etcetera. (In case you haven't noticed, Etcetera is my favorite weapon to unleash on unsuspecting characters at the worst possible moment...or not release, in the case of Electra earlier in the story.)

So, um...yeah. That's pretty much it.


	5. Chapter Five

**Disclaimer: I think anyone who's gotten this far should realize I don't own CATS.**

* * *

**Chapter Five**

"Veles! Where have you been?" Jemima smiled and waved at the orange tabby kitten, jumping to her feet and waiting for him to come rushing over, like he always did.

He didn't.

Veles kept walking, his eyes straight forward. Not even one ear flickered towards the black and white queen-kitten. The only indication that he'd noticed her at all was the tail slashing back and forth behind him—but what had she done to make him so irritated?

"Veles?" she asked, but again got no response. The other kittens behind her laughed a little.

"Looks like Vellie's a little mad at something. What'd you do, Jemi?" Pouncival asked, grinning. But when she turned around, the smile slid off of his face.

"What's wrong? Did something happen?" he asked. No one was as happy-go-lucky as Etcetera, but Jemima was rarely as forlorn and upset as she looked now. Her ears drooped, and she wrung her paws in front of her.

"I don't know," she said, truly puzzled. "Veles has never been like this before. Did I do something wrong?"

"Just forget about it, Jem," Tumblebrutus said, concerned for the young Cat. "Maybe he's having a bad day or something."

"Don't worry about it," Electra insisted, waving off the incident as if it were nothing. "Like Tumble said, he's probably just in a bad mood. He'll get over it. It's not like _you_ did anything; I don't think you could hurt someone's feelings even if you tried. You're too nice." She said this last part with a slight wrinkle of the nose.

"Oh, like that's a bad thing?" Jemima said, crossing her arms and acting mock-insulted.

"Of course it is!" Electra exclaimed. "You can't be nice _all_ the time. It's not natural." She stood up, yawning and stretching. "Come on. Let's go bother Etcetera and Asparagus with the kittens."

The group all followed her, migrating in a pack towards the area they'd last seen the mass of kittens, overseen by a hyperactive Etcetera and a frustrated Asparagus. They didn't notice the little orange tabby tom-kitten as they walked by him, perched as he was on top of the big pile of cars.

He hissed at them when they went by, but wasn't nearly loud enough to be heard. That was okay with him; he'd rather not face them right now anyway. He didn't think he could hide the heartbreak.

How could Jemima expect things to be normal today? She'd abandoned him. She'd left him on his own just so she could go gossip with that…that…but he couldn't think badly about Victoria. The pretty white queen had always been nice to him too, hadn't she? Even if she'd wanted him to leave yesterday. Jemima had wanted that, too, after all.

He growled now, letting his claws come out and dig into the metal beneath him. That wasn't good enough. He wanted—he _needed_—to feel something give beneath the claws, something that he could rip and tear into. Something he could tear to shreds and destroy as completely as Jemima had destroyed his heart.

Subconsciously, he recognized how ridiculous this was. She'd just wanted to be alone with her queen-friend! But he couldn't ignore how he was feeling, and that was _betrayed_.

Veles didn't know how long he lay up there, occasionally growling or hissing to himself in anger. He didn't notice Cats passing by below him, laughing and playing and shrieking. He didn't notice the sun changing place in the sky. He _did_ notice when a scarlet queen joined him on the top of the car, as surprised as he was to see another Cat up here.

"Bombalurina?" he asked, blinking confusedly.

"Didn't know you were up here, Veles. Mind if I join you?" she asked, not bothering to wait for a response and flopping down next to the dazed kitten. He rolled over to accommodate her a little more.

"Um, sure. What are you doing up here?"

"I come up here to think. Be alone. But, no, don't leave!" she said, grabbing his arm to keep him from climbing back down the pile. "You were here first. I don't mind sharing if you don't."

"N-no, of course not," Veles stammered, although in fact he _did_ mind. Or, well, he _would_ mind if he could just get his thoughts straight. The beautiful scarlet queen had barely noticed him in the past, and now here she was…

Bomba sighed. "I don't want to think now, though. So why don't you tell me what's on your mind, Vellie?"

Vellie. There was that hated nickname again.

"It's _Veles_," he growled, then stopped when he noticed her peeved expression. "S-sorry," he said, but she shook her head.

"Nah, kitten, it's fine. I guess I understand—never liked anyone calling me Bombie when I was a kit, should've guessed you wouldn't appreciate the nickname. So what's on your mind, Vel?"

Vel was slightly better. "It's…none of the others want me around. I'm too young for them."

Bombalurina nodded. "So it's _that_. Don't worry, Vellie—oops, sorry, _Veles_—it'll pass. Just wait until next year's Jellicle Ball. It happens to every Cat. Your friends figure they're too old for you soon as they go to their first Ball, then act like nothing ever happened when you go to your first. Just give it a while."

"But…it never happened before," Veles pouted, sitting up. Bombalurina sighed.

"Then maybe it's something else. Can't help you if you're talking generally, but I figure you're not about to give me specifics, so that's the best I can do."

* * *

Mistoffelees watched the light dancing over the palms of his paws, fascinated in the way the sparks played over his fingers. His powers were strange even to him, and even after so many years of living with them, he was still amazed.

But even the little bits of light he conjured from nothing could not keep his mind from _that thought_ for very long. _That thought_ came to him every day without fail, if not every hour. He couldn't keep it down, and he couldn't stand to think it anymore. It tortured him. It almost physically pained him.

_I should have asked her._

That was it. One short sentence, causing so much pain to the Conjuring Cat.

Maybe she would have said no. Maybe she would have laughed in his face, rejecting him in the cruelest way possible. Victoria wasn't like that, but even a heartless refusal would have been better than this endless wondering.

_What would it have been like if I had asked her and she had said yes? Would I be in Plato's place right now? Does she really love him? Or does she feel anything, _anything_ at all, for me?_

The small tuxedo tom clenched his paw into a fist suddenly, extinguishing the light.

"No more," he moaned, closing his eyes. "No more! I can't stand it!"

"Mistoffelees?" The Conjuring Cat opened his eyes, then closed them again in agony.

Not the subject of his thoughts, but close enough: her Promised Mate.

"Yes, Plato?" he asked, as civilly as he could when all he wanted was to bury his head in his paws again. He looked up, controlling his expression as best he could. Plato didn't look convinced.

"I heard you shouting. Are you all right?"

_No. I'm in love with Victoria and there's nothing I'd like to do more than rip your throat out right now for being with her._ "Yes, of course. I'm fine."

Plato still didn't look convinced. "Right. Of course." But he still didn't leave. The tuxedo cat slowly unclenched his paw, letting the sparks play over it again and imagining zapping Plato. He was almost certain that a manic look crossed his face briefly when this thought came to him, but he wiped it away quickly. And Plato still didn't leave.

"Was there something else you needed?" Mistoffelees asked finally, looking up at the younger tom. He hadn't moved from his spot.

"Mistoffelees…you're a friend of Victoria's, aren't you?"

_No! Talk to me about anything but _her_!_

"Yes…I guess I am," the Conjuring Cat said, attempting to hide the misery in his voice. He didn't do very well with it, but Plato was absorbed in his own problems and appeared not to notice.

"Well, then maybe you know why she hasn't been too happy lately?"

Ah. That produced an interesting reaction.

On the one paw, he was suddenly elated. Victoria wasn't happy! Did that mean she really _didn't_ love Plato? That she wished she hadn't danced with him? Was there a chance for Mistoffelees?

But then, Victoria wasn't happy. Somehow the elation only intensified the anguish, and added a feeling of guilt to it. He loved the white queen; that much was obvious to him, horribly and painfully obvious. He marveled at the fact that he hadn't been confronted about it yet. His happiness was tied to his own; he couldn't be with her, but if she was happy, his misery was half of what it could be. If she was miserable with him, it only doubled.

Plato was looking at him oddly now, so Misto shrugged and tried to look concerned, but nothing more. "No, I'm sorry. I don't. But I've noticed Jemima doesn't look too happy today, either. Could it be something to do with her?"

Plato's eyes lit up. "Yes! That must be it! Jemima's her best friend, isn't she? So if they fought…that would make her upset!" He was smiling now, thrilled with the idea that his Promised Mate's sadness was nothing to do with him. He grinned. "Thank you, Misto!" he said, before whirling around to dart off towards his den.

Mistoffelees dropped all pretense at that point. He dropped his face into his paws, letting his claws come out and dig into his skin, not quite breaking it. The pain didn't help to distract him at all.

* * *

_Six Years Ago_

_Mistoffelees crouched in an old, rusted pipe, and watched the queen-kitten dance._

_He'd been noticing her all night; it was hard not to. Her pure white coat nearly glowed in the moonlight, a beacon easy to spot from any angle, even when she was lost in a crowd. And when she danced, the crowd parted for her, all Cats stopping to watch. The kitten had gained a reputation for her extraordinary dancing long before her first Ball; and now she could display it to the best of her ability for the first time._

_She had skipped gracefully through the Song of the Jellicles, dancing the steps with ease. She only had one solo, when Munkustrap lifted her onto his shoulder; but even that simple move had been done with astonishing elegance. She left the group during the Naming of Cats number, moving to the center of the clearing to begin a dance on her own. And now she stood there, dancing the Invitation Dance—a Dance that had previously been done by Cassandra. But the Burmese had passed the Dance on to the young kitten, saying that none could dance like Victoria._

_It was true._

_Mistoffelees sprang to his feet suddenly, bounding out to the center of the clearing where the white kitten sat now, waiting for him to come to continue the Invitation Dance. The music changed, became louder and more energetic as he helped her rise to her feet and sang._

"Jellicle Cats come out tonight, Jellicle Cats come one, come all! The Jellicle Moon is shining bright, Jellicles come to the Jellicle Ball!_" Victoria smiled at him, dancing beside him, and Mistoffelees found himself thrilled at her smile. He had known her before, of course, but seeing her dance now, without holding back, was like seeing her true self._

_He continued to watch her for the rest of the Ball._

_She took most of Bombalurina's "kitten roles" in the songs, the roles that were normally filled by the younger Cats. Even though the scarlet queen was too old for these roles, there hadn't been enough kittens to fill them in the past years. She passed the roles on to Victoria now that the kitten was at the Ball, and was grateful for it—she'd been very vocal about how irritating it was to be stuck in with the kittens still._

_The white queen-kitten joined Demeter, Rumpleteazer, and Exotica in playing mice for Jennyanydots's song, then threw herself into dancing for the Rum Tum Tugger. She gathered around him with Rumpleteazer and Exotica in the end (Demeter didn't approve of the Tugger and wouldn't join that group, and Bombalurina refused to join that group simply because he was already her Mate), and Mistoffelees thought what a shame it was that she, like all the others, squealed in delight at his friend's antics. He found himself sitting next to her during Bustopher Jones's number, both laughing a little at the fat Cat's attempt at dancing, until he threw a glare their way._

_Mistoffelees shared a look with Victoria, both still grinning and giggling a little, and he noticed just how beautiful she would be as she grew older._

_They stayed together to watch Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer's song, a new one to the Ball. And they were still together as Munkustrap and the Rum Tum Tugger sang about their father, Old Deuteronomy._

_When it came time to sing The Pekes and the Pollicles, Mistoffelees was sorry to leave the white kitten's side. It shocked him to find that he'd grown comfortable there—even though he had never spent much time with the white queen-kitten before, now he felt as if he'd known her for a long while._

_Then came the Jellicle Ball, the part he had been subconsciously waiting for. Victoria emerged to dance her solo first, darting around in a skittish way. Mistoffelees watched in silence, as did all the others. It was impossible to keep your eyes off of her as long as she was dancing. He managed to sidle his way through the group to dance next to her whenever he could, and watched for her reaction when he danced his solos. He wondered; what would she think of his magic tricks during his song? She'd only seen the tricks he used to entertain the younger kittens before, never the more complex things he did at the Ball._

_And as Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer began their Mating Dance, chaotic and confusing, Mistoffelees was once again next to Victoria._

_He was too old for her—now. _But in six years?_ he thought, wondering. He could feel it already, the instinctive pull of a Cat towards his true Mate. She wouldn't feel it yet, she was too young to notice it. But he knew._

* * *

**A/N: **Another boring chapter, but this one has Mistoffelees in it, so doesn't that make up for everything? (You can really tell who I'm a fangirl for. Actually, you can't, because Mistoffelees is only one out of five, and is in fact in fifth place.)

Things pick up a little bit next chapter, and then after that it's like an explosion. Not kidding. I have issues with pacing sometimes.


	6. Chapter Six

**Disclaimer: I do not own CATS or any of the characters in this story, other than the ones you do not recognize from the musical.**

* * *

**Chapter Six**

As Plato walked away from Mistoffelees, his mind was racing.

He knew his Promised Mate was unhappy, and he knew that nothing he did was helping. She had sulked in their shared den all morning, and he had teased her gently, kissed her, rubbed her back and combed out her fur, invited her to dance with him, offered to go find food—yet the thing she had appreciated the most was his offer to leave her alone.

She had regretted it almost immediately, of course.

"Oh, Plato!" she had cried, finally coming out of the den and catching up to him within steps. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that—I just want to be alone, you see? It's not you, it's just me. I just—I just need some time to think. I need to think about some things. And it's easier when you're not there—you're just too much of a distraction," she had said coyly, raising herself to the tips of her toes to kiss him on his cheek. He had smiled at her, grasped her paw and squeezed it briefly, letting himself get lost in her eyes.

"Of course, Victoria," he had said, stepping back. "I understand. If you need me…I'll be around. It won't be hard to find me," he promised, making himself a mental note to stay in obvious places. Victoria had told him once, playfully, that he didn't need to center his life around her, and that he needn't go out of his way to please her.

He had responded in all seriousness that she was his life. It was true.

Now he headed towards the clearing, reminded of his promise to her. If she wanted to find him, he would be there. He would do anything for her.

But until she came to find him, he would sulk in silence.

To his disappointment, the clearing wasn't empty. The Rum Tum Tugger was there with some of the Tribe's kittens, enjoying the attention that came with his wiggling hips. Etcetera, Electra, and Jemima were all crowded close around him, squealing enthusiastically with every move; Etcetera looked as if she were about to faint with the excitement of it all. Asparagus, Tumblebrutus, and Pouncival stood off to one side, the two brothers looking awed by the maned tom, and Asparagus merely shaking his head with a frown. Surprisingly, Satis was there too, watching her father show off for the older kittens with a grin on her face. Occasionally she attempted to imitate his moves, shaking her own hips back and forth.

As Plato walked over, Etcetera let out one final, drawn-out squeal, then toppled over onto her side. Tugger glanced down at her, one eyebrow raised, then shook his head as he looked up and noticed the tomcat.

"It never gets old," he said, making the conscious two queen-kittens giggle, mewing and pressing up against his legs. He waved them off, and they mewed sadly before backing off, belatedly remembering the prone body of Etcetera and dragging her with them. The tom-kittens went to join them as Tugger strolled over towards Plato, who was looking at Jemima.

"Jemima?" he said tentatively, wondering if he should really get involved, and then deciding that he should. Victoria was going to be his Mate, and he was concerned for her. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course, Plato," the black and white kitten said, leaving Electra with Etcetera and moving to join the two toms. Automatically she went to Tugger's side, and he looped an arm around her. Plato was surprised at that, and it must have shown on his face, because Tugger laughed.

"Hey, don't worry," he said, grinning. "Bomba's fine with this. It ain't like anything's gonna happen." Jemima didn't react; she knew how it was.

"Right," Plato replied, folding his arms but deciding not to get into that. _That_ was none of his business. "Jemima…did you and Victoria…I mean, when she went to find you, did you get into a fight? About anything?"

"Uh, no, we didn't…" Jemima said, looking a little nervous. But Plato could tell she wasn't lying to him. "Any reason?"

"Victoria's been upset lately," Plato said, shrugging, "and I don't know why. I thought that maybe something happened with you…but you're her best friend, do you know why?"

Now the kitten looked _very_ nervous. "No! No, I have no idea," she squeaked, obviously lying, and ducking out from under the Rum Tum Tugger's arm before Plato could even open his mouth. "But, uh, I'm sure she'll feel better soon. Bye!" She ran back to her friends. Plato growled.

"Mate troubles?" the Tugger asked, still grinning and not at all phased by being abandoned by his fan. "Don't sweat it, queens are always moody. Gotta get used to it soon."

Plato scowled. The Tugger wasn't helping much. "It's not that. There's something wrong with her, and I need to know what. I have no idea what to do," he finished helplessly, sighing and lowering himself to the ground. Tugger dropped to the ground next to him, his expression not changing for an instant.

"You need help? We're friends, right? The Tugger's good for queen advice. Lemme help you," he said, and didn't bother to wait for Plato to respond before charging on (mainly because he knew the white and brown tom would refuse the help).

"I've never had problems like that with Bomba, but Munkie's with Deme, and she's just a load of issues."

"Demeter has had an awful past. She's a wonderful queen," Plato snarled, glaring. Tugger held up his paws.

"Sure she is, sure," he agreed, "but she does get moody all the time. And Bomba's had the same past, you don't see her all freaky like that. Anyway. When Deme's all quiet and sulky, Munk just thinks about stuff that happened recently, and about what she's been talking about, and about the Cats she's been seeing, or not seeing when she usually does. And he figures it out from there. So you gotta do the same thing, you know? What's happened lately with you two?"

"Our Mating Dance," Plato said miserably, slumping over. "Rumpus! Is that what she's upset about? That we danced together? Pollicles! It's me! I'm making her miserable! Oh, Rumpus, she's—"

"Whoa! Slow down!" Tugger yelled, and the kittens all looked over from where they were trying to revive Etcetera, until Plato shot them a _look_. They hastily went back to their task.

"That ain't it, she wouldn't have danced with you if she didn't want to," Tugger reassured the younger tom. "Nothing else? How 'bout her friends? She been staying away from any lately? I don't mean not hanging around with them, she would be spending most of her time with you right now. She been avoiding any lately?"

Plato considered. Her closest friends had always been Jemima, Mistoffelees, Etcetera, and Electra, along with Tumblebrutus, Pouncival, and Asparagus. She'd just seen Jemima the other day, so that wasn't it. They had passed by Etcetera and a furious Electra kitten-sitting the other day, and stopped to talk—even though Electra had been in a rage over Etcetera leaving her alone with the kittens for a time, there hadn't been any sign of anger or awkwardness between either of the queen-kittens and Victoria. Pouncival had stopped to speak with him when Victoria was with Jemima yesterday, and hadn't mentioned anything; he would have if something had happened, and he wouldn't have kept quiet about Tumblebrutus either. That left Asparagus and…Mistoffelees.

Plato snarled suddenly. Something had been _off_ with the Conjuring Cat earlier that day. He stood, clenching his paws into fists and feeling the sting of his claws in his palms. The Rum Tum Tugger looked a little nervous.

"Hey, Plato, what's up?" he questioned, and the tomcat shook his head.

"I think I know what's wrong. I have to go, Tugger," he hissed, turning to stalk off.

The Tugger might have responded, but Plato didn't hear. His ears were filled with a rushing noise he realized was hatred for the black and white tuxedo tom. He was sure—he was _positive_—that Mistoffelees had done something to upset Victoria. The Magical Cat would pay for that.

* * *

Demeter yawned and stretched, blinking in the light that was coming in through the den's entrance. She smiled and rolled over, pressing against the warm, furry body at her side. Munkustrap cracked open one eye, smiling when he saw her.

"Morning," he said, then looked to the opening. "Or afternoon, is it?"

"Afternoon," Demeter agreed, grinning mischievously. "Were we just going to lie here all day, or did you plan on doing…something?"

"Demeter!" Munkustrap said, shocked but laughing a little. "I don't think I've ever seen this side of you before," he added, purring and wrapping an arm around her waist. "Of course, I don't have any complaints."

Demeter added her purr to his, but gently pushed away from him when he began to kiss up her neck. "I was kidding, Munk," she protested, giggling like a kitten. "I don't think I have the energy left for _that_."

"Hmm, well, I still wouldn't mind spending the day in here with you," the silver tabby said now, rolling closer to her.

"What will the Tribe say?" Demeter laughed when he began again, and he sighed, getting to his feet and attempting to smooth down his fur.

"You're right," he said a little glumly, but reached down and grasped her paw to pull her upright. Demeter smiled as he wrapped an arm around her waist again and led her out of the den.

"Will you come with me on patrol?" he asked, and she nodded.

"Of course, Munk. I haven't seen you much since the Ball," she said, frowning as she thought back to that night.

"I'm sorry, Deme, I guess I've just been busy…Old Deuteronomy has been putting more duties on me lately," he admitted. "I think he's trying to get me used to the idea of being Leader."

"And?" she prompted, knowing there was more.

"And…I've been thinking about…things."

"Grizabella," Demeter said softly, looking down.

The two were silent for a few moments. Munkustrap looked concernedly at his Mate, tugging her closer to him and letting her head fall onto his shoulder. Neither realized they had stopped in the middle of one of the lanes through the Junkyard. They stood there, both saddened by the loss of the queen and reflecting on their own pasts with her.

"You never knew her like I did," Demeter said suddenly, her voice barely a whisper. "You never got a chance to really know her…she was wonderful to me and Bomba, back with…him. She always took care of us and made sure we were safe."

"I did like her, while she was here," Munkustrap replied just as quietly. "We were all angry at her, but a lot of that was because we all trusted her and liked her so much. I remember the Ball she came to…"

"What was that like?" Demeter asked, smiling faintly. "I would have liked to know her like that. Me, Bomba, and Grizabella, at the Ball. What was she like?"

"I had a crush on her, back then," Munkustrap admitted, shrugging. "Like Pouncival with Bombalurina. All of the other tom-kittens, too, although Tugger won't admit it if you ask him. More than a few of the grown toms. She was beautiful and kind, and never above playing with even the youngest of the kittens. I wonder sometimes if that was all just an act…"

"No," Demeter said firmly, shaking her head. "She may have been working for Macavity, but I think she always had a soft spot for kittens. It's why she couldn't leave us."

"I couldn't attend the Ball when she was there; I was too young," the silver tabby started again. "But I remember that the kitten-sitter was sleeping, so I snuck out and watched from a distance. We had different songs back then. Jennyanydots, Bustopher Jones, Old Deuteronomy, Gus, and Skimbleshanks all had their songs, and even Macavity had become notorious enough to earn his own song by then. We had a tom who was famous for befriending a Pollicle dog, and even brought it in during the Ball; two queens that were known for their generosity and kindness in helping stray Jellicles; and another tom who hunted mice on farms. They all had their own numbers, but they…left the Tribe. After…we found out about Grizabella. It was hard, sometimes, to look around and know that a beloved member of the Tribe had betrayed us all, and wonder who else might be—who else might do the same.

"And Grizabella had her own number even then. That's where she became known as the Glamour Cat. Her song was a bit like Tugger's—I think that's where he got his inspiration," he added, smirking. Demeter laughed.

"I'm not surprised. He never was that creative."

"Don't let him hear you say that," Munkustrap said fervently, shaking his head. "He'll come to _me_ about it, and Rumpus can that Cat complain!"

Demeter giggled at that, cuddling closer to her Mate, then sighed. "I wish she was still here. I miss her. More than you can imagine, I miss her."

* * *

_Fifteen Years Ago_

"_Grizabella! Are you watching us today?" Munkustrap asked, grinning happily. The brown queen was always volunteering to watch the kittens, and all of the kittens loved it when she did._

"_Not today, Munkie," the queen replied apologetically, and the silver tabby tom-kitten didn't even mind the nickname. It sounded so good coming from this queen, although he wouldn't tolerate it from any other Cats._

"_Why not?" he demanded, following her as she began to cross the clearing. The Glamour Cat turned to smile at him, ruffling his head-fur._

"_Aren't we demanding today?" she teased, and Munkustrap could feel his cheeks burning up below his fur. Not for the first time, he was grateful that the colors on his face kept the blush from showing through, unlike some of the others; poor four-year-old Victoria would have the hardest time with that, with her pure white fur._

"_I have business today, dear, and I just can't leave it any longer," the queen said softly, having stopped on the edge of the clearing. "But I'll stop by to play with you later, okay?"_

"_Okay!" Munkustrap agreed, then paused. "Can I come with you?"_

_Grizabella laughed here, a high, sweet sound that made Munkustrap's heart flip over. "Sorry, Munkie, but I don't think you're old enough for this."_

"_I'm eleven!" he protested, desperate to be included in the queen's plans._

"_Not even old enough to attend the Ball," she said softly, as gently as she could. Munkustrap felt the remark like a stab, though; he was starting to come to the age where being left out of the Ball began to hurt, especially since his brother would brag the next day about how much fun it was._

"_But how about this?" Grizabella said now, regret plain in her voice. She didn't like to hurt the kittens. "How about just you and me play later? I would take you with me, dear, but I don't think Jenny and Jelly would approve."_

"_They like you," Munkustrap insisted. "Jelly especially; I heard her tell Jenny that she wished more Cats were like you. They'd say yes, I know it!"_

"_But I have to leave the Junkyard, and it's not a good idea for kittens to leave just yet. Not with Macavity's henchcats roaming around," she almost whispered, and something about the look on her face made Munkustrap pause. Was that regret again? Sorrow? Guilt?_

"_Fine," he agreed, and thought he had given in much too easily for her not to be suspicious. But she believed him anyway, smiling at him._

"_Thank you, Munkustrap," she said, smoothing out the head-fur she'd messed up earlier. "I'll see you later, all right?"_

"_All right," he said, again agreeing far too easily._

_He only waited until she had disappeared out of his sightline, then he looked over at Jennyanydots and Jellylorum, the kitten-sitters of the day. They were busy with Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer, scolding the calico friends for terrorizing Electra and Etcetera until they cried, and didn't notice as he scaled the pile of junk and took off after his favorite queen._

_She didn't notice either, because he was far too careful to be noticed. As she strolled through the lanes towards the entrance, he clambered over old, rusted parts, trying to find the safest route and the fastest._

_When she left the Junkyard, he slid down the pile and ran after her, taking care to be stealthy. It was easy for him; it came naturally._

_He ran around a corner where he'd seen her go, and then stopped in his tracks._

_There she was, conversing easily with a large, broad black Cat that was easily recognizable as one of Macavity's agents. He gasped—was she in danger? He stepped a little closer, staying close to the building and listening nervously. She was talking._

"…_Leader's kitten, Munkustrap, is in line for Leadership next. His older brother, the Rum Tum Tugger, is not suited for the position, nor does he want it. That's good news; the little kitten is wrapped around my paw…"_

_Munkustrap didn't wait to hear more. He felt tears spring to his eyes, but pushed them back angrily. Tugger didn't cry over queens or betrayal, so neither would he._

_Wrapped around her paw, was he? He'd show her._

_He almost felt sorry for this; he'd loved the queen so much from the moment she first stepped into the Yard a year ago. But he was going to be Leader eventually, and this was important, even if it meant the exile of a close friend._

Not a friend_, he reminded himself. _A traitor.

_The two Cats didn't even notice the sound of his retreat as he ran full-speed back to the Junkyard. He had to tell his father about this._

* * *

**A/N:** Have you ever noticed, when you log in to this site, sometimes it asks you if you're human (followed by the stupid type-this-word test)? That _really_ makes me want to go, "No. I'm a zombie." Just a little random musing there.

And one more thing, I just have to say...wow! I really appreciate all the awesome feedback you guys have been giving me.

And since I forgot to say it last chapter, we're now officially (a little over) halfway through the story!


	7. Chapter Seven

**Disclaimer: I don't own CATS. Boring disclaimer, isn't it?**

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

"Mistoffelees."

The Conjuring Cat looked up at the sound of his name, surprised and upset to see Plato twice in the same day.

"Yes, Plato?" he asked, forcing his voice to be civil when all he really wanted to do was run screaming, as far away from this Cat that had everything he wanted as he could.

"What have you done to Victoria?" the tom snarled, every inch of his body screaming fury at smaller tuxedo.

"What?" Mistoffelees asked, genuinely confused. He looked at Plato's face for the first time, noticing the terrifying expression there. The Cat looked absolutely murderous.

_No…no, he can't know!_ Mistoffelees told himself, heart pounding furiously in his chest. Plato couldn't possibly know that he had been tearing himself to pieces ever since the Ball—indeed, even before it, from the moment he found that Plato and Victoria would be dancing the Mating Dance together—and if he did, why would he be over here, looking like he was about to kill Mistoffelees?

"Victoria! _What have you done to her_!?" Plato shouted at him, drawing the attention Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer, who were passing nearby. The tiger-striped Cats looked over, frozen in surprise. Mistoffelees forced a smile at them, but it must not have been convincing, because they continued to watch in concern as Plato ranted.

"She's been miserable for days! Nothing I do can make her feel better! _What have you done to her_!" Plato screamed again, but it was no longer a question. It was an accusation. Mistoffelees found himself backing up warily, rising from his perch on a junk pile and jumping down to the ground. This made the size difference between the two only more noticeable; while Mistoffelees was one of the smallest in the Tribe, Plato was among the largest. He could easily tear the tuxedo tom to pieces with barely an effort.

Mistoffelees subconsciously called the sparks to his paws again, letting them dance around his fingers without a thought. "I don't know what you're talking about, Plato. I haven't even seen Victoria since the Ball." His broken heart splintered even more at the words, but he was beginning to grow numb to the pain. When every word and every move reminded you of the one you loved, eventually there would be nothing left to feel.

"Liar!" Plato growled, flexing his claws. His eyes narrowed to slits. Somewhere inside of him, he was acting outrageously, but he couldn't stop now that he was faced with Mistoffelees.

"Plato, stop!" the Conjuring Cat said firmly, his voice more commanding than it usually was. His own rage was rising, finally given an excuse to break free. He wanted this to turn into a fight. He knew that Plato was physically stronger, but with his magic, he would win the fight. No one would blame him for blasting the brown and white Cat into oblivion if he was just defending himself. Not even Victoria could blame him for that.

"I have not seen Victoria since the Ball," he said calmly, watching Plato tense up. "Are you sure it's me that she's upset about? As far as I know, the only Cat she's seen much of has been…you."

"What are you saying?" Plato hissed, his voice dangerously soft. Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer, still standing there, strained to hear. The two toms were drawing a crowd; now, Pouncival and Tumblebrutus had appeared as well. Exotica was there, too, watching over the kittens for the day; she held Arion in one arm, with Meret clinging to her side in fright. Laodice was on her other side, staring wide-eyed at the fighting adults, while Hypnos and Thanatos stood a little apart. Clorinda was already racing towards her parents, where she jumped into Mungojerrie's arms and buried her face in his fur.

"Toms, please," Exotica said softly in her rich, cultured voice, but went ignored. The two were too focused on each other to even notice their audience.

"I'm not saying anything," Mistoffelees replied easily, though inside he was eager for this fight. "But if it has been only you around, then surely it must have been something you did—"

He didn't get a chance to finish. Plato lunged forward, much sooner than the Conjuring Cat had expected, his claws digging into the smaller tom before Mistoffelees even thought to react. Claws raked his face, leaving a line of bleeding gashes on his cheek. A fist hit his stomach, and air rushed from his body. His eyes narrowed.

There was a flash of light, and Plato found himself lying on the ground, blinded and aching. When he stood he found Mistoffelees waiting for him with a slash of claws across his face, giving them nearly identical wounds. Plato snarled. The Cat may have his magic, but he was no match in a real fight. He lunged again.

Before he could touch Mistoffelees again, paws wrapped around his arms, yanking him backwards. Plato howled and kicked and snarled, reaching around to attack the ones behind him, but he couldn't reach.

"Plato! Rumpus, Plato, stop it! Pollicles! It's Tumble, Plato!" His foot connected with a leg, and there was a yelp as the speaker cut off, then a fist to his head cleared his thoughts. He twisted his neck around.

Mungojerrie, Pouncival, Tumblebrutus, and Rumpleteazer were all clinging to his arms, dragging him backwards. Exotica was nearly invisible, sitting on the ground under a pile of whimpering kittens, trying to wrap her arms around all of them at once and glaring at the two toms that had frightened them.

And Mistoffelees was standing a few feet away, his teeth bared, and the most frightening expression that Plato had ever seen him wear on his face. Instead of the usual sparks around his paws, his entire coat was standing on end, flickering with the lightning that lit the air around him. Blood dripped from the wound on his face, and he was panting heavily, but still standing.

Plato snarled at the sight of him, then turned and stalked off, ignoring the calls of the other Cats. He didn't go towards the clearing, or out of the Junkyard, or to any of the other spots where he could be alone. He went towards his den, where he knew Victoria would be. Right now, he wanted nothing more than to be with his Mate and assure himself that she loved him.

* * *

When Plato stormed off, Etcetera wasted no time before she ran back towards the Rum Tum Tugger, almost crashing into his legs as she dove towards him. Electra and Jemima weren't far behind. Asparagus rolled his eyes, standing up and wandering off, while Pouncival and Tumblebrutus took off after Plato.

Satis stood back, fluffing her little mane in imitation of her father. When he started to wiggle his hips again, she copied his moves, smirking at the squealing of the kittens.

There was a sharp intake of breath from behind Satis. The scarlet Queen-Kitten turned and smiled when she saw her mother, running over for a hug. She only realized a moment after she threw her arms around Bombalurina that the Queen wasn't responding, and she pulled back to look up.

Bombalurina's face was a mixture of emotions. Anger, sorrow, regret—all played for dominance there.

"Mama?" Satis asked uncertainly, watching her mother with concern. In the center of the clearing, Tugger and the older Queen-Kittens hadn't noticed Bomba's arrival, and he continued to show off for them without pause. Bombalurina watched him without blinking, then abruptly snarled.

_That_ got attention immediately. The Queen-Kittens whipped their heads around to look at her, surprised at both her arrival and her anger. Tugger was obviously confused.

"Hey, babe, what's up?" he asked, stepping carefully out of the ring of Kittens (to their disappointment) and heading towards her. The scarlet Queen snarled again, and Satis stepped away from her warily, unsure of what she was so mad at.

"What the hell are you doing, Tugger?" she hissed, eyes narrowing. Tugger stopped, glancing back at the Kittens with an almost guilty expression on his face. But not quite—Satis knew he always showed off for the Kittens, and her mother had never cared before, so why would he feel guilty now?

"Whaddya mean, Bomba?" he said quietly. "What're you so mad at?"

"You, you Pollicle!" Bomba hissed again, louder this time. "How could you do this? We're _Mates_, Tugger! We have a _Kitten_! Why the hell are you over there flirting with _Kittens_ when you have a MATE!?" She was yelling now, screaming at him like she'd never done before. Tugger flinched back, but composed himself immediately. The Rum Tum Tugger didn't back away from anyone, even his furious Mate.

"You never had a problem with it before!" he defended, fur bristling. "You know it don't mean anything! They're just Kittens, can I help it if they all love the Tugger?"

"This is a joke to you, isn't it?" Bombalurina growled, softer this time. "You really don't get it."

"Get what, babe?" Tugger asked, confident again, sure that he had the situation under control. "There's nothin' _to_ get. It's just play. It don't mean anything, they know that, I know that, you know that. It don't mean _anything_. Rumpus, you flirt all the time too! But you don't see me complainin'. I see you at the Ball; you didn't exactly push Pouncival away when he started rubbin' all over you."

"That's different! I didn't push him away, sure, but I didn't push _you_ away either," she hissed.

"Oh, that?" Tugger actually _laughed_! "That was just a joke, babe. Just for laughs."

"You know, Tugger, I don't think it was a joke," Bombalurina said. Her anger had drained away, and now she just sounded exhausted. Exhausted, and sad. "And after the Ball? You ignored me. All night long."

"Aw, babe, come on…" Tugger said, and he was almost whining. "Let's just forget about it, huh? It didn't mean anything. Playin' around with the Kittens, teasin' 'em a little bit? It don't mean nothin'. Let's just forget about it. C'mon. The Tugger'll make it up to you." He stepped forward, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and drawing her close, turning towards their den.

"No, Tugger."

That made him stop. He looked down at her, and she pushed away. The scarlet Queen shook her head.

"No, Tugger," she repeated. "I can't…I can't do this anymore. I need to know that _I_ matter to you, that I'm not just some squealing Kitten for you to forget about. We _can't_ forget about this. You need to figure this out…and when you do, then maybe we can talk. But for now…"

"What are you talking about?" Tugger asked, unable to think of a single witty thing to say. "What d'you mean?"

"I mean…I don't think I can be with you anymore, Tugger. Me and Satis will find someplace else to live…but I can't be with you anymore. I'm sorry, Tugger. Bye."

And the Rum Tum Tugger, for the second time in his life, was left entirely speechless as Bombalurina gathered Satis, leading his shell-shocked Kitten out of the clearing and leaving him alone.

* * *

_Seven Years Ago_

"_Bomba! Hey, Bomba!"_

_The scarlet Queen-Kitten (almost queen!) turned, smirking as she spotted the Rum Tum Tugger making his way towards her. The maned Tom was grinning, too, and he puffed up his mane as he neared her. Bomba purred, moving towards him sinuously and letting her tail wrap around his leg._

"_Hey, Tugs," she said, pressing herself against him. He put an arm around her waist, pulling her close to him, and one paw went just a little lower than it should on her back. The two notorious flirts of the Tribe were always like this; no one was surprised that the two were together. There wasn't another Cat in the Tribe that could handle either one of them._

"_I guess I'll talk to you later, Bomba," Demeter said crossly, but went ignored. She rolled her eyes, but she was far too used to this by now to get too upset. She didn't like the Tugger much, and he felt the same about her, but Bombalurina was crazy about the Tom. Neither noticed as she walked off. Maybe Munkustrap was around somewhere…_

"_So, Bomba, it's your Ball this year," Tugger mentioned casually, perhaps over-casually. Bombalurina felt a thrill of excitement go through her at the words._

"_Yeah, I guess it is," she answered, acting as if she hadn't been thinking about this all day. It was hard not to; with only two weeks to go before she came of age, she'd yet to be asked by any Tom._

_That was hardly surprising. She saw their desiring stares everywhere she went, but all the Toms of the Tribe knew to back off when the Tugger wanted a Queen. He fought dirty. None would dare to go so far as ask Bomba to dance the Mating Dance with them while she was still with Tugger._

"_So, you get asked to dance yet?" he asked, again all too casually. As if he didn't care much. Bomba rolled her eyes._

"_Aw, Tugs, as if you don't know," she teased. "All the Toms in the Tribe are too scared of you to even go near me."_

"_Good thing, babe," the maned tom replied, grinning and letting his paw wander as he pulled her closer still. "The Tugger can't let a queen like this get away."_

"_Oh?" Bomba asked, blinking innocently. "Is that so?"_

"_You know it, babe," Tugger grinned. "So how 'bout it? You gonna dance with me, or not?"_

_Bombalurina frowned. _That_ was not how she'd pictured being asked._

"_Oh, I don't know, Tugger," she sighed, pulling out of his reach and circling around him, sizing him up. Inwardly she laughed at his shocked expression—that'd teach him to be so boring about it! "I mean, you're a great tom and all, but are you the _ONE_?" she asked, pretending to consider. She put a paw on her chin, sighing again. "Hmm…"_

_The Tugger didn't respond. For once, he was completely speechless! The scarlet queen almost broke her charade, suppressing a grin just in time to keep up the act._

"_I—you—Bomba! Please!" he gasped finally, pleading. He grasped both her paws in his, eyes wide. "Bomba, I can't stand the thought of you dancing the—the _Mating_ Dance with another tom! We're meant to be Mates, babe, can't you see it? You've got to see it! Bomba—babe—"_

"_That's more like it!" Bombalurina grinned, jumping forward and planting a kiss on the shocked tom. It lasted for a long time, and when they finally came up for her, Tugger gaped at her._

"_What the—Pollicles, Bomba! What's going on?"_

"_I was just kidding, Tugs," she giggled. "You can't ask a queen something like that so casually. You gotta make it romantic. So I may have…played around with you a little. Of course I'll dance the Mating Dance with you, Tugger. I can't imagine doing it with anyone else."_

"_You—you—" Tugger broke off, instead opting to kiss her again. This one lasted even longer._

"_You know, I may have to punish you for that," he growled when it was over, wrapping an arm around her waist again and leading her towards his den. She laughed mischievously, eyes sparkling._

"_I've got no objections to that," she purred. Her mind couldn't leave the idea of having the Rum Tum Tugger as her Mate._

* * *

**A/N:** Finally, a little action! But you wouldn't _believe_ how much trouble I went through to get this chapter here. First of all there was actually writing it, or rather, finding the time to write it. Busy weekend. Very, very busy weekend (which actually shouldn't have been an issue, but I let myself fall behind with writing and the updates caught up). And then my computer decides that it doesn't like this website, so it won't let me load any of the pages I need. So I have to e-mail the chapter to myself and get it on another computer, but the e-mail decides that the attachment is too large, so I have to split it up into three separate files and e-mail all of them (why they'll go as three separate ones on the same e-mail but not as one big one is a mystery to me). And now here it is!

But don't worry, from here on everything is all planned out and ready to go...plus there are scenes I've been _dying_ to write in the next few chapters, so I'll _definitely_ have it ready. And I have a few more ideas, too (both for this story and for other stories), so I'll be writing a lot in the next few days. Exciting, isn't it?

I know, I know. Not really. I can always pretend, though.


	8. Chapter Eight

**Disclaimer: I don't own CATS.**

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

"Victoria?"

The white queen hastily rubbed the backs of her paws over her eyes, vainly trying to scrub out any trace of tears. She knew it was no use; it was all too easy to see her red eyes, and there was nothing she could do about it.

"Victoria?" Plato was calling her name again, just outside of their den, too respectful to enter without her permission even though he had been living there before her.

"Y-yes, Plato," she stammered, "I'm in here."

"May I come in?" he asked now, sounding anxious. Victoria thought she heard a hint of anger under there, and there was sadness, too—a rush of guilt overcame her at that. She was the cause of all his sadness these days.

"Of c-course, Plato, it's your den," she said, forcing a smile onto her face as her Promised Mate entered. But the smile dropped, along with any desperate thoughts to conceal her tears, when she saw his face.

"Plato! You're injured!" she gasped, leaping to her feet with unconscious grace and rushing over towards him. Her paws brushed over his cheeks, the white fur staining red with his blood. She inspected the four gashes marring his face—claw marks, she knew. "Who…?" She couldn't finish the question. Fights were rare in the Tribe, and ones that left injuries were almost never seen. These gashes were deep.

"Mistoffelees," Plato said shortly, his voice flat. Victoria froze, her paw still on his cheek as her breath caught at the name. "But it was just luck on his part that he got this one hit. Luck, and that _magic_ of his," he spat out, still furious. "Coward. He couldn't face me like a real tom."

"You and…Misto? You were fighting?" Victoria panted, finding it hard to draw breath. It felt like she was suffocating, or drowning. Her head spun, and she stepped backwards, crumpling to the ground. "Did you…"

"Mark him? Yes," Plato answered, and now seemed proud of himself. "Even _with_ his magic, he still—"

"_Why_?"

Plato stopped. Victoria had her face in her paws now, covering her eyes. Her shoulders shook slightly, and her voice was weak. She was…she was crying?

"He hurt you," Plato said, confused. "He hurt you, didn't he? You've been…you've been so upset lately. I was sure…I thought he—"

"He never did _anything_, Plato!" Victoria screeched. "He's never done _anything_ to hurt me or any other Cat! _Why_ would you fight him? How badly is he hurt?"

"Victoria…I was only…I was only trying to defend you…Vicky, my love…"

"No, no, no!" Victoria screamed, sobbing. "I can't…Plato, I can't—Misto, he's—he's never done anything! This isn't his fault, it's all mine. It's all my fault, Plato, I've made such a mess of everything—"

"No!" Plato shouted, then lowered his voice as he ran to take the white queen into his arms. "No, no, Vicky, it's not your fault…nothing's your fault, nothing at all—what can I do? Victoria, please, just tell me, I would do anything for you…"

"And that's the problem," the queen moaned miserably. "Plato, you—you can't let me be your entire life. It's not right, Plato—it's just not right."

"Victoria, you're going to be my Mate," Plato said softly, rubbing her back gently. He didn't know what was going on, but his queen was distraught, and he would do whatever was needed to comfort her. The fact that he had come here hoping to be comforted by her meant nothing now. "Of course I would do anything for you—of course you are my life, my love. I don't know what I would do without you…"

"No, no…" Victoria was whimpering now, cringing away from the brown and white tom. She turned to face him, unaware of her gory appearance—her pure white coat was spotted all over from where his blood had dripped onto her. "Plato, please. Don't say that anymore. I don't think I can bear it."

"What do you—"

"I can't stay here, Plato," Victoria whispered. "Not with you. Not now. I think I might love—I don't love you the way you love me. Plato, you're my friend, my dearest friend, but we weren't meant to be Mates…and this will only break all our hearts, eventually. Please, Plato—understand this."

Plato was silent, his face horrified. When he finally spoke, it was in a rough, despairing voice that she had never heard on him before.

"It's him, isn't it?" he asked. "Mistoffelees. It still goes back to him…"

"Plato, I'm so sor—"

"It's not you, Victoria," the tom whispered. "Not your fault…"

He stood without another word, walking slowly out of the den. When Victoria finally willed herself to move and rush after her, he was already gone.

* * *

"She doesn't want to see you right now," Demeter said, and the Rum Tum Tugger was surprised to see an apologetic expression on her face. They were standing outside of the den she shared with Munkustrap, Demeter blocking the entrance.

"Satis," he said hoarsely. "Let me see Satis."

"No, Tugger," the gold queen said gently, shaking her head. "She said that she needs to be with her daughter right now."

"Then Munkustrap," Tugger said now, desperate. "Let me talk to my brother. He'll know what I should—"

"On patrol." Demeter looked over the Tugger's dejected appearance, and he slumped as he turned to walk away. With a sigh and a glance into the dark den, where Bombalurina huddled with her kitten, the gold queen caught up with the maned tom. She placed a paw on his arm, and he looked at her with surprise.

"Come on," she said, steering him in the direction opposite that of the clearing, where he was headed. "Let's talk somewhere."

To her surprise, the tom didn't protest, but led her lead him where she wanted. They got several odd looks as they walked past—the entire Tribe knew that Demeter and the Rum Tum Tugger didn't have the best relationship. Finally she stopped them when they reached an old, rusted washing machine, nimbly leaping to sit on top of it and waiting until Tugger was situated next to her before starting. He looked at her blankly, a little bemused, as she spoke.

"I know we haven't gotten along well before, Tugger—and you know why that is, I think," she added, frowning disapprovingly. "You never did know when to stop, did you? Most of the queens didn't mind that, but…"

"I get it," Tugger growled, baring his teeth and letting his fur bristle angrily. "Are you here just to taunt me? Let me know just why I lost her? Because if you are—"

"I'm here to help you," Demeter said coolly, and the maned tom froze. Help? "Whatever you may think, I never minded that you were with Bombalurina. She loves you."

"Loved," Tugger corrected bitterly. "Not anymore. Or hasn't she told you?"

"She's told me everything," Demeter said, and the pity obvious in her eyes made Tugger want to snarl at her. "You really didn't expect this, did you? I can't blame you for it. At least, it's not entirely your fault. You really didn't know it was bothering her, did you?"

"No!" Tugger shouted, relieved now to finally have someone on his side—at least, he thought Demeter was on his side, strange as it was. "I didn't! If she'd told me—"

"You might not have stopped anyway. Let's face it, Tugger, you're too much of a flirt. But you would have paid more attention to her, wouldn't you?"

"Listen, Deme, not that it's not great talking to you and all, but what'd you want to talk to me for? You're just tellin' me things I already know here."

Demeter rolled her eyes, but smiled a little. "Strange as it is, I'm going to help you get her back, Tugger."

Once again, the Rum Tum Tugger froze. "You—as in Demeter, Bomba's sister—are going to help me, the Rum Tum Tugger—who you hate—get my Mate back? Are you for real?"

"Yes, Tugger," Demeter said, still smiling. "Like you said, you're her Mate. And I don't hate you—I just wish you would be a little more loyal to her. We haven't gotten along in the past, but I hope we can change that."

"You know, you're not so bad, Deme," Tugger conceded, grinning his usual Tugger grin now, though the grief was still obvious in his face. "I gotta admit, I always thought you were a little strange. Like—Deme?"

The gold queen had gone stiff suddenly, eyes wide. She didn't move for several long moments, then she hissed one name in a whisper that sent chills up Tugger's spine.

"_Macavity_…"

So fast he barely even saw her move, the queen was on her feet and racing up the path they had come down. She was just a gold blur in his eyes, shouting the Hidden Paw's name as she went and rousing Cats all over.

"Like the way you always things like that…"

Moments later, there were screams from all over.

_Bombalurina!_

The Rum Tum Tugger jumped up and raced after Demeter, but for different reasons. He had to get to the den and protect his family.

But they weren't there when he got there, and the screaming continued.

_Bomba! Satis!_

The Tugger turned and raced towards the center of the Junkyard.

* * *

Macavity looked around the Junkyard with pleasure, a feral grin crawling over his face. His henchcats had emerged from the dark places all over the Junkyard, and the fights had begun.

The screaming of that brown queen—Exotica, Macavity thought—and all those kittens had attracted the attention of all the Tribe. The Cats were all rushing here, but it was no use, really. There were far too many of his own little "Tribe," and far too few of theirs able to fight effectively.

He didn't even have to fight any of the toms himself! The only ones who might be able to take him on, his foolish little brother Munkustrap and that sorry excuse for a second-in-command Protector, Alonzo—were occupied with protecting the rest of the Tribe to the best of their ability.

Hisses and snarls rang out around him, and blood was hitting the ground all over. A few Cats had fallen here and there—Tribe or his, it didn't matter. The Jellicles were losing.

Flashes of white light revealed the presence of that Magical Cat, Mistoffelees. Shadows wrapping around his Cats showed the work of the Mystics, Tantomile and Coricopat. It didn't matter what they did.

The Jellicles would fall tonight, no matter what. Revenge would be gotten, and Demeter and Bombalurina would be his again.

* * *

**A/N:** Short chapter, and not my best, but here it is anyway!

I gotta say, poor Plato! He's just trying to make Vicky happy, and everything seems to go wrong for him, doesn't it?


	9. Chapter Nine

**Disclaimer: I don't own CATS.**

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

Veles wove his way through the crowd, searching desperately for the black, white, and scarlet fur of Jemima.

He dodged Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer, who were double-teaming every henchcat in their path. He darted past the group of young kittens, huddled in a corner, crying and protected by Jennyanydots, Jellylorum, and Exotica. He ran by Demeter, who was hissing madly and swiping at anything that came near her, while Munkustrap made sure that barely anything actually got close to her. His hopes rose as he spotted Electra in the crowd, sure that Jemima would be near her—but she was there with Asparagus and Tumblebrutus, no Jemima in sight.

Finally he found her—fighting with Etcetera and Pouncival, the three of them together barely managing to hold off an enormous, dark gray henchcat. Veles snarled, fury overtaking him as he ran forward.

He leaped, landing on the Cat's back and digging his claws in wherever he could reach. The tom howled in pain, reaching back to scratch at the kitten clinging to him but mostly missing. Finally he got a grip, latching onto the tom-kitten's arm and flinging him to the ground. Veles cringed and closed his eyes, waiting for the last blow to fall. He flinched when a paw touched him.

But it was just Jemima, grabbing his paw to pull him up. He smiled at the sight of her, then turned to look for the henchcat—gone, fleeing from the snarling, hissing group of kittens.

It would have made Veles laugh if he hadn't been so frightened of the enraged look on their faces, too. Pouncival's fur stood on end to make him look twice his size, Jemima had been snarling since the henchcat had flung Veles to the ground, and even ditzy Etcetera—no, especially his older sister—looked as if she was about to tear the Cat to pieces.

Without a word the group, four in number now, stood back-to-back, bunching close and defending each other. Arguments and exclusions were forgotten in favor of a grim silence and the closeness that only near-death could bring.

* * *

"Bombalurina!" Tugger's shout was lost in the screams and snarls of the fight, so he stopped shouting and just searched. A flash of scarlet, a familiar growl—any of these would be sufficient. He would find her then. But there was no sign of his Mate or his kitten.

Briefly he ran his eyes over the group of kittens huddled behind Jellylorum, Jennyanydots, and Exotica, and a thrill of panic ran through him—where was Satis? She wasn't with them!

_Bombalurina…Satis…_ he thought, turning in every direction. He had to find them!

"Dad! Daddy!" That was Satis!

Tugger whirled towards the source of the sound, and saw with despair his kitten, cowering by a pile of junk. Her eyes were on Tugger now, but they darted back towards the fighting Cats in front of her. Another rush of anguish—it was Bombalurina, grappling with a large brown henchcat. He was clearly aiming for the throat.

For the first time, Tugger cursed his Mate's unusual coat color—with her scarlet fur, he couldn't tell if she was bleeding or not.

He didn't remember running through the crowd, shoving any Cats in his way out of his path, nor did he remember what Bombalurina later called the most terrifying snarl she'd ever heard him sound. He _did_ remember the feeling of plunging his claws deep into the brown tom's back, tearing and ripping until the Cat fell. And he _did_ remember Bomba turning towards him in shock, looking first to the corpse at her feet and then up to his face.

"I could have handled that," she said, her voice saturated with relief. Tugger shook his head.

"I don't care."

* * *

Victoria's attention was torn between three Cats.

One was Plato, on the other side of the clearing, tearing into henchcats with a fury she'd never seen in him before. His face was contorted with anger, his paws coated with blood already. Injured cats fled from him, leaving him to find his own enemies if he wanted a fight. And, from what the white queen could tell, he did.

The second was Mistoffelees, who found himself with no shortage of combatants. Every time he turned around, there was another cat there waiting to attack him. Every time he knocked one away from himself, there was another one there to take his place. Victoria was frightened for him, terrified that he would be overwhelmed, even with his magic.

The third was the henchcat attacking Victoria herself.

She twisted away from him, keeping herself always out of his reach, her eyes straying to her Promised Mate and to the Conjuring Cat with every second. It was a dangerous thing—every time her attention was distracted, the henchcat only got closer to landing a strike. He was grinning unpleasantly, sure that this "game" of theirs would end in his favor. And Victoria was beginning to think that it would.

A bright flash of lightning drew her attention. _Mistoffelees!_ Her heart nearly stopped when she looked over to his position—or, rather, where he had been before. Where was he?

A claw raked down her side suddenly, leaving a long gash. Victoria yowled, instinctively springing away, but too late. The wound in her side made even the simplest movement painful, but she kept moving anyway, weaving around the tomcat in a desperate attempt to stay clear of his claws.

It was no good. Time and time again he struck her, landing blows on every part of her body and leaving long, deep cuts. She could no longer look for Mistoffelees or Plato; she needed every last bit of her concentration just to prevent _most_ of the strikes.

The henchcat struck her across the face suddenly, sending Victoria sprawling to the ground. She whimpered, feeling the sting of claws against her face, and waited in a huddled mass on the ground for the next attack.

Instead of the expected claws, all she felt was a breeze of air across her face, as if someone had struck and missed. She looked up.

Plato! The brown and white tom was on top of Victoria's attacker, snarling viciously and tearing into the henchcat with all of his strength. The other cat was really no match for the larger tom, but he tried anyway, burying his claws deep into Plato's stomach and chest but going ignored. Victoria smothered a gasp when she saw Plato; he was covered in blood already, and she didn't want to guess how much of it was actually his.

Eyes wide, she turned her attention to the rest of the Tribe. The Rum Tum Tugger, Bombalurina, and Satis were in a group near the edge of a junk pile, seeming to ignore the battle around them. Demeter was still attacking anything and everything that came near her, but Munkustrap had managed to get close enough to stand beside her, dodging her claws as she swung wildly and fending off any cats that came too close. Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer—Etcetera, Veles, Pouncival, and Jemima—Electra, Tumblebrutus, and Asparagus—all around, groups and couples defended and helped each other.

_But where is—_

Her thoughts broke off as she found him, the black and white tuxedo that had constantly occupied her thoughts since her Mating Dance with Plato. He was standing at the top of the junk pile with Tantomile and Coricopat. The two Mystics had joined paws, and shadows grew all over the Yard, enveloping henchcats. Mistoffelees shot lightning from his paws, striking down any cats who thought to come near the pile and try to stop the trio.

Then something caught his attention, and his eyes went towards the pile opposite him.

_Macavity!_

Immediately he focused his attacks there. The Mystery Cat was hard to hit, always moving just far enough to be out of range, smirking confidently. He said nothing, his eyes never leaving Mistoffelees, but his message was clear enough—_Who do you think you are? Do you really believe you can beat me?_

Mistoffelees gritted his teeth, sweat staining the fur on his forehead as he attacked. His claws came out, his tail slashed from side to side, and finally—

_Yes!_ He hit!

Macavity disappeared down the other side of the pile, and the retreat of their Boss seemed to make the henchcats hesitate. It was an easy fight from then on, just a matter of pushing cats away from the Tribe, letting the groups and pairs join together in one concentrated attack. First one henchcat turned tail and ran, then another—until they were all running, with Demeter at the head of the Tribe, chasing them away. The gold and black was panting, still wild with anger and fear, flinching each time her Mate tried to touch her.

"He wanted us," she whispered, ears flat, so quiet that she could barely be heard. "I know it. Macavity wanted me and Bombalurina back, after all these years."

Victoria barely noticed that the henchcats were running. She barely noticed that Mistoffelees had appeared by her shoulder suddenly, looking concernedly at her and the way her white fur was mostly red now. She didn't notice other cats gathering around them, speaking softly to her.

She was kneeling over Plato, stroking his face and trying to smile at him, but failing. He'd been hurt worse than she had expected in the fight, and he was laying flat on his back now, his eyes closed. Her paw shook as she touched his cheek, and Plato's eyes opened. He grimaced, but the grimace quickly turned to a weak smile when he saw just who it was hovering over him.

"Victoria," he said softly, reaching over to take her paw. He barely managed to grasp it, but Victoria kept a hold of it, nodding.

"I'm right here, Plato. Why did you do that? You saved me, but you…" She couldn't finish the sentence.

"I had to," Plato said. Victoria thought his voice should have been weak, but it was the same deep, strong voice she'd always heard him use before. "I couldn't live without you, Victoria. At least now…you can be happy."

"No, Plato," the white queen whispered. "Plato…I don't think I could. Not without you. I…I love you, Plato. I love you, my Mate, my everything. I love you so much…"

"That's not true," Plato replied gently, but he still smiled. "It's not true, but it's nice to hear."

"It's true. It's true, Plato, I have always loved you…" And Victoria knew as she spoke the words that it was the truth. Perhaps she didn't love him the way she loved Mistoffelees, but he was still her tom, and he had taken over a portion of her heart.

"It's good to hear…" Plato said, then squeezed her paw lightly. "Victoria…do something for me?"

Victoria leaned in close as he whispered his request, her eyes widening with surprise. She pulled back to look at him, then smiled and nodded, tears in her eyes.

"Of course, Plato. I would do anything for you," she said, leaning over him again. Plato sighed, and his whole body shuddered.

"Good to hear…" he said again, his eyes closing again. Victoria leaned over, pressing her lips gently to his; and though he stiffened with surprise at first, he relaxed slowly. Victoria didn't pull away until his paw squeezed hers again, and his eyes found Mistoffelees, hovering behind the white queen. He said nothing, but just looked at the tom, and the Conjuring Cat bowed his head.

The Tribe gathered around them, each whispering their goodbyes to the young tom, until finally his eyes closed again. Victoria whimpered, then sobbed as tears streamed down her face.

Her Mate was gone.

* * *

**A/N:** I'm not sure how this came out, if it came out as good as I wanted it to or not. I'm thinking not, but I'm not too great at writing fight scenes. Plus I was more concerned with the characters than the fighting, to be quite honest.

And I needed to finish it quickly, because I won't have any time for the rest of the day. In fact I should be getting ready for a horse show right now (I need to clean my boots), but I really wanted to get this update done. Plus the thought of putting on my long-sleeved shirt, jacket, pants, and boots in 95 degree weather isn't too appealing.


	10. Chapter Ten

**Disclaimer: I do not own CATS the musical.**

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

"_Vicky!" Victoria started when a voice sounded directly behind her, dropping her leg and almost toppling over. But strong arms caught her and held her up, and she craned her neck to see the brown and white tom-kitten behind her._

"_Plato! You scared me!" she scolded gently, regaining her balance and standing up. She smoothed down some of her fur, turning to grin at her friend. "I was practicing. Did you know Munkustrap asked me to do the Invitation Dance this year? At my first Ball!"_

_Plato frowned. "But I thought Cassandra did the Invitation Dance."_

"_She gave it up," Victoria said, still a little puzzled by the Burmese's act. "She said she'd rather have me do it."_

"_Oh." Plato didn't seem surprised at all by this; he smiled, linking arms with the white queen-kitten and starting to walk. They were aimless, as they always were when they took these walks. "Well, you _are_ the best dancer in the Tribe. You'll be wonderful."_

"_I still don't know why she did that," Victoria frowned, not bothering to argue the point. She leaned against Plato, sighing. He was so endlessly layering compliments on her, it was a shock she hadn't gotten a big head yet._

_Plato sighed, smiling in amusement. "I'm sure _you_ don't, but even Etcetera would be able to get this one," he teased, dodging the white paw that swiped at him but not letting go of Victoria's arm._

"_But you'll be wonderful, Vicky. And Mistoffelees is dancing it with you, isn't he? Lucky tom," he mock-complained._

"_What, would you rather be dancing it with me?" Victoria asked. "In front of the entire Tribe? I'm terrified. And Mistoffelees…well, he's used to this by now, I'm sure I'll humiliate myself—and him, by association. Consider yourself lucky you're not doing it!"_

"_Victoria, Victoria, Victoria…" Plato moaned, shaking his head slowly from side to side. "How many times do I have to tell you? You'll be wonderful as always. Mistoffelees is lucky to be dancing with you; you'll make him look better just by standing next to him. I envy him, and I think I always will, if he gets to dance with you."_

* * *

"_Victoria!"_

_The white queen-kitten smiled as she saw her two favorite toms coming towards her: Plato and Misto. Plato, of course, had always been her closest friend; they had both been left in the Junkyard as kittens, just weeks apart, and had been raised together by the Tribe. Misto, though, was a new friend; he'd danced the Invitation with her at last week's Ball, and since then they'd been spending much of their time together. It mystified her, why this seventeen-year-old tom was hanging around her, four years younger, but she couldn't deny that she loved spending time with him. And he always liked to show off with his magic._

_The sight of the two was a little funny, and Victoria had to stifle a few giggles. Though so much younger, Plato was already slightly taller than Misto, and had a much larger build. Even Victoria herself was coming up to the tuxedo tom's height._

"_What's so funny?" Plato asked as they came up; Victoria was still giggling a little, despite her best efforts not to._

"_It's just…Misto! Even I'm almost as tall as you!"_

_Mistoffelees scowled, but there was a playfulness in the expression, and something else that Victoria didn't quite understand. It was always there when he looked at her, and she saw it sometimes in the other Cats—when Munkustrap watched Demeter kitten-sitting, when Tantomile and Coricopat shared some unspoken thought, when the Rum Tum Tugger showed off for the kittens but kept his eyes on Bombalurina._

"_It must be hard for you, being the shortest tom in the Tribe," Plato joked, smirking. Misto threw a _look_ in his direction._

"_It is," he said gravely, and the serious look on his face only made Victoria's giggles multiply. "But then, even the tallest toms in the Tribe can't do _this_!" And before either one of them could react, he'd whirled around and thrown a lightning bolt in Plato's direction—missing the tom purposely by just centimeters. Plato jumped away a little too late, and both of the other Cats were already laughing when he composed himself._

"_Mistoffelees, you'll pay for that," he threatened, but he was grinning too. Victoria skipped forward to link arms with him, as they had always done, then held her other arm out to Misto._

"_Coming?" she asked, and he smiled as he came forward to hook his arm around hers._

* * *

"Victoria?"

Victoria didn't bother to look up at the sound of the voice. She knew who it was already; she hadn't allowed anyone else into the den she'd shared with Plato since _that day_.

A black paw covered her own white one, grasping it and squeezing gently. Victoria pulled away. That was too much for her, too much like Plato's last moments, when he had tried to comfort her even as he died.

Mistoffelees didn't say anything. He understood.

They sat in silence for a while, both tearless. They had cried themselves dry, and there was nothing left after a week of tears. Victoria had sobbed for her best friend, for her Mate; Mistoffelees had cried for Victoria's grief, for the tom he had once been friends with, and for the tom that had longed only for Victoria's happiness, to the last moment of his life.

"_Dance with him, Vicky_," he had whispered to the white queen. "_Dance with Misto…it's how your Ball should have gone._"

"We should go now," Mistoffelees finally whispered, his voice hoarse. Victoria nodded mutely, standing and waiting for him to rise before walking towards the entrance to the den. She blinked in the light, hesitating, but he took her paw again. And this time, she let him. And he led her out to the clearing, where the Tribe waited, much as they had the day after the Jellicle Ball.

There were tears in the eyes of every Cat, but there was happiness too. The Rum Tum Tugger was, for once, without his fan club, but you wouldn't be able to tell it by the look on his face. Instead of being surrounded by squealing queen-kittens, he was sitting with Bombalurina at his side, his arms around her, and little Satis lying across both of their outstretched legs. The maned tom and the scarlet queen didn't kiss, and his paw didn't stray across her body as it usually did, but there was something so intimate about the trio that Victoria had to look away.

The older kitten group wasn't even concerned with the Tugger. They all sat in a huddled mass together, clinging to each other and comforting each other. Even Veles was in the group, leaning against Jemima. For once, none of the others protested his presence, and often reached out to touch his arms and shoulders, just as they did with their other friends.

The Tribe was completely silent. The only noise at all was a gentle sobbing, desperately muffled by paws over a face. Victoria looked around, confused. Her eyes finally fell on Exotica, tears streaming down her face. She was nearly invisible in the arms of Cassandra and Alonzo, who seemed at a loss to help her.

Without a word, Victoria freed her paw from Mistoffelees's, walking towards the slender queen. Cassandra and Alonzo parted, and Exotica looked up at Victoria, barely able to control herself long enough to say what needed to be said.

"I didn't even know him well, but I think he was meant to be mine," she gasped out. "My heart is breaking for a tom I didn't even know…"

Wordlessly Victoria dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around the queen. There was nothing else to say now, and she only hoped she could pass on her thoughts this way.

After a while Exotica pulled back, forcing a weak smile onto her face. "But I'll be fine," she said, her voice a pale imitation of the cultured tones she usually had. "And so will you, I think…"

"Yes," Victoria whispered, willing herself to believe it, and finding, to her shock, that she did. "We will all be all right…"

And she drifted slowly back to Mistoffelees, stopping a few feet away in a graceful pose, much like the one she had done for Plato. It seemed like years ago that she had waited for him to join her in the Mating Dance, and now, here she was doing it again, when no Cat ever performed it more than once…but the others were willing to make an exception of this, when they found out what Plato had said to Victoria that day.

She felt his paws on her back after not too long, and shuddered at the familiarity of it. But at the same time, she felt a profound happiness rising up in her; _this_ was what she had expected the Dance to be like. _This_ was her true Mate, _Mistoffelees_. She would never forget Plato, but Misto was here, with her now, and she would be happy. For Misto. For Plato. For herself.

All around the clearing, the Tribe watched in dead silence. Emotions conflicted in all of the Cats; no one knew quite what to feel. Tears flowed freely, but were they for joy or for grief? Watery smiles appeared on faces, but were they for the memories of a Cat passed on and a Mate left behind? Or for the two that danced now in front of them, so there, so _alive_ and _together_? Or, perhaps, for all these reasons?

Demeter knew what she cried for. For a tom that had only gotten the love he desired in the final moments of his life. For a queen that gained one love but lost another, both leaving their mark on her heart. For a queen that felt scorned, and a tom who couldn't stop flirting, and Mates that just couldn't stay apart.

But most of all, for a queen who had given up a comfortable life to save two kittens, and was exiled in return.

Demeter cuddled in closer to Munkustrap, her arms wrapped tightly around Arion and Meret. Grizabella was nothing but a memory now, but one she would cherish forever. She would never forget the Glamour Cat, but she would stop mourning for her eventually, and move on.

She thought of Victoria's whispered words to Exotica, not meant to be heard by any but the slender queen. And she smiled.

_We will all be all right…_

* * *

_Fourteen Years Ago_

"_Demeter, my dear, what are you doing?" Grizabella laughed upon spying a bright patch of gold fur underneath a blanket. Demeter squeaked, and darted out from under it, looking around frantically before diving towards a cardboard box on the side of the alley. It had only been days since the trio had escaped from Macavity, and already the kittens were restless and energetic._

"_Demeter?" Grizabella asked, still chuckling a little. Now there was no part of the little queen-kitten visible, so Grizabella started to walk towards the box._

"_Shh!" came the panicked reply, and Grizabella stopped in her tracks. "She'll hear you!"_

"_Who will, dear?" the brown queen asked patiently. She had taken care of the kittens for too long to get impatient with them, and even before that, she had cared for the little kittens in the Junkyard Tribe._

_Her heart ached when she thought of them, especially of little Munkustrap. She knew that most of the young tom-kittens in the Tribe had thought themselves in love with her, and she knew that they felt betrayed when she had been discovered. Even the little Rum Tum Tugger, who had flirted shamelessly with her though he was so young, had hissed and snarled at her, even more fiercely than the rest. But Munkustrap had just looked at her sadly, flattening his ears. The anger would come to him, and she was sure it had come to him already, but she would forever remember that sad look of his…_

_Because, no matter what she had done, she had truly cared for the silver tabby tom-kitten._

"_Bombie!" Demeter answered her question, whisper-shouting as quietly as she could._

"_Why don't you want Bombalurina to find you?" Grizabella asked, smiling at the nickname Demeter had used. The scarlet kitten only let Demeter use that nickname, refusing to answer if Grizabella tried to call her anything but her full name, or perhaps Bomba. Demeter, though, often let the brown queen call her Demie._

"_We're playing a game," Demeter said urgently, "and she can't find me or I'll lose."_

"_Ah, I see," Grizabella said, laughing again. It was good to see the kittens playing; they hadn't been able to often in Macavity's domains. Even this little game of hide-and-seek, in an alleyway with few hiding places, was likely to be one of the greatest games the two had ever played. "So shall I leave you here? And what should I say if Bomba asks if I've seen you?"_

"_Tell her I'm not here!" Demeter commanded, still invisible in her box._

"_Of course, Demie," Grizabella said, shaking her head a little and going to the entrance of the alleyway, looking around for a flash of scarlet fur. They may have escaped, but Macavity was still a danger. The brown queen knew she needed to get to the Junkyard, and she should have done so days ago, but she could not bring herself to go there yet. She knew that she would not be allowed to stay, and she knew that she must leave the kittens there, but she could not bring herself to face that reality yet._

_Finally, Bombalurina appeared, a look of concentration on her young face. She spotted Grizabella at the entrance to the alley and trotted towards her, her expression turning defiant and obviously expecting a lecture._

"_Bomba," Grizabella said, smiling faintly. "You shouldn't wander off so far. It's not safe…"_

_Bomba looked surprised. "You're not mad?" she asked cautiously. Grizabella shook her head._

"_No, dear, I'm not angry," she said, still smiling. "Just worried. You won't go so far again?"_

"_No!" Bombalurina said, cheerful now that she was sure she wasn't in trouble. "Have you seen Demeter? I'm looking for her."_

_Grizabella pretended to think, putting a paw up to her chin. "Hmm…well, no, I'm afraid I haven't seen Demie anywhere," she said teasingly. "You might want to look around in here, though, it seems like this would be a good hiding place…"_

_Bombalurina grinned at her and darted into the alley. A moment later there was a loud squeal, followed by giggles. Grizabella smiled. It was just too good to have the kittens playing like this…_

_Hours later, the three were curled up in the same box that Demeter had hidden in, sheltering from a storm. Grizabella was at the bottom of the pile, a pillow for the two sisters, with her arms around both of them. Bombalurina was sleeping already, but Demeter was too skittish to sleep with the rain pattering on the box, and thunder rumbling in the distance. With every boom she flinched, her claws digging into Grizabella's arm._

"_Demie, dear, don't worry. You're safe here…"_

"_I know," Demeter whispered. "But I keep thinking about _him_…"_

_Grizabella almost snarled. Macavity. The stupid Pollicle had taken great pleasure in terrifying Demeter, to the point that the giggling golden kitten had turned jumpy and wary._

"_Don't think about him. He won't hurt you anymore. I'll protect you."_

"_Promise?" Demeter asked, and her voice almost broke Grizabella's heart. "Do you promise you'll protect us? Always?"_

"_As long as I can, my dear," she said, though she knew it was a lie. She would protect them for a day more at most, and then she had to leave them in the Junkyard. They would be safer with the Tribe, they would be raised properly with the Tribe, but she would not be able to see them anymore._

_Demeter nodded, yawning tiredly. She began to drift off when another sudden boom of thunder startled her, her fur standing on end and a hiss escaping before she could help it. Bomba stirred but didn't wake up, and Grizabella began petting the gold fur down, soothing the kitten until she laid her head down again._

"_I promise, my dear, I'll protect you…we'll be fine. I promise you, we'll all be all right…"_

_

* * *

_

**A/N:** Wow! This is the first multi-chapter story I've ever finished!

I hope the bit with Exotica wasn't too random, but that, like most other things, has been planned for a long time and I couldn't bear to leave it out (and here is where I drop a hint as to a possible sequel in the future, featuring Exotica, although I'm not sure when, if ever, it will get up here).

I have confession to make...the first memory in this chapter? It was supposed to be at the end of the last chapter. I forgot to write it, though. Oops. Ah, well, I like it where it is a little bit better anyway.

And finally, I just want to say an ENORMOUS thanks to everyone that reviewed! Thank you all so much for your feedback, I can't even say how much I appreciated it! And another thanks to everyone that read the story at all. I hope it was enjoyable to read!  
-Penguin


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